Is it Fate?
by forever-lost-in-paradise
Summary: They were meant to be together; it had to be fate. Yet they never expected they had a deeper, more sinister connection, or that the consequences of such knowledge could lead to tragedy. Dramatic/romantic at the same time. Bit AU but not a lot.
1. Chapter 1

Is it Fate?

_All right, time for another story! Updates come when I have the time to write (which varies according to the season). This is definitely half fluff, half angsty drama. It is somewhat AU, I suppose, but it exists within the realm of reason. Reviews are appreciated with much love!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own any CM characters. (and the quote below is for the whole story, not just this chapter)_

"_It has been said, 'Time heals all wounds'. I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone." Rose Kennedy._

"Pen, I am offering you an ultimatum," Kevin suddenly announced midway through their dinner at his place. Penelope paused, her salad fork halfway to her mouth.

"What's this about, Kevin?" she asked, puzzled. Her brain whirred desperately, trying to come up with an answer. She hadn't done anything wrong, at least, not that she remembered.

"Derek Morgan." Oh. THAT. Her best friend, her 'hot stuff', who, as much as she didn't like to admit it to herself, was the real man that she was in love with, had always been a rough point with Kevin. Her boyfriend never seemed to understand her relationship with him. But why did he have to bring it up again? It was a tired subject, really.

"What about him?" Penelope questioned, trying to keep her voice calm and even.

"You guys are too close for my liking." Great. So what else was new? Kevin really hadn't been one for originality.

"Is there an ultimatum in that question?" Penelope replied somewhat sarcastically. She did not want to have to go through this right now. Work had been quite stressful that day. It took all of her willpower to not think about the horrible video footage of a strangling she'd been forced to watch.

"Penny, I love you. You know that, right? If you truly love me, you will stop spending your time with Agent Morgan."

"And if I don't?" Penelope responded, irritated.

"I'm afraid I'll have to end this relationship. I can't play second fiddle to your best friend, not when I'm supposed to be your boyfriend."

"Well, goodbye then, Kevin," Penelope sighed. She got up from the dinner table and went to grab her purse. Gobsmacked, Kevin watched as she tossed his keys on the table next to her half-full plate.

"I-I didn't mean it like that!" he exclaimed, shocked that she was actually considering leaving him. Sweat dotted his forehead as he tried to think of a way to take back his words.

"I think it's pretty clear, Kevin, what you meant. You've always been jealous of my friendship with Derek. My F-R-I-E-N-D-S-H-I-P. That's pathetic." Penelope stormed out of his house, not allowing her angry tears to fall until she'd entered her car.

She felt sick. What a great day. She'd broken up with her boyfriend. The one absolute constant in her life for the past three years. True, he'd been a pretty pitiful choice, but he'd been loyally so for their whole relationship. Even her friendship with Derek had ups and downs.

What was she to do now? With no guy wrapped around her, she was just boring old Penelope Garcia, the awkward tech girl that no one really wanted. Her sudden availability now would hardly raise eyebrows. No one was truly interested in her, especially not the one person she really wished was.

Derek. What would he make of this sudden turn of events? She couldn't tell him the true reason she broke up with Kevin, of course. He'd only feel bad, maybe even try to take the blame for the whole thing. It wasn't his fault, but Derek was the kind of person to feel that way anyway.

With Kevin, things had been predictable. Bland. Boring. Downright annoying. Perhaps, Penelope decided as she entered her apartment, it really was actually better that way. There were no variables, no balls thrown out of left field.

Yesterday, everything in her life had made sense. Today, it was all in shambles, with no one to help her pick up the pieces.

If only she knew how tangled her existence would become. If only she knew the range of emotions she would feel in the coming weeks. If only she could see her future…a future riddled with laughter and tears, with joy and pain. And with a bullet. A bullet taken not just in the name of love, but in the name of penance as we;;. If only she knew who would be struck with the bullet…she would never say that her current predicament was that muddled at all.

It was nothing compared to what would soon come to pass.

_Weak chapter I know, but I wanted to get rid of certain 'baggage' AKA Kevin. Review please! I promise the next chapters will be better!_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

_Quick note: This is taking place during S6 (since I said Pen and Kevin had been dating 3 years) but Emily and JJ are here and Seaver isn't. _

_I am writing this as my own way to protest the possible end of M/G friendship (look up 7x13 spoilers if you don't know what I mean). This SICKENS me. I seriously might not be able to watch if they stop the friendship._

_Thanks for all the reviews and stuff! Keep it up!_

"Morgan, Prentiss, we have a case," JJ stated crisply as she blew past her two coworkers stationed in the bullpen area.

"I hope it's just as easy as the last one," Derek commented to Emily, who laughed.

"Yeah, that guy had no idea how to cover his tracks at all. But, Derek, remember to watch yourself. He said he would come after you once he got out of jail."

"I can take care of myself, Agent Prentiss," Derek fired back. "Besides, I think I'll have a head start, seeing as he's in a prison in North Dakota." They both chuckled as they remembered the beet-faced Unsub's weak attempts at threatening the infallible Derek Morgan.

Entering the conference room, Derek was surprised to see that Penelope Garcia, his best friend, was absent from the round table. As of recently, she'd been sitting with them during the briefing. A pang of worry hit his stomach….he hoped she wasn't sick.

"Everybody sit down," Hotch said, barely taking notice that his technical analyst was missing.

"All right, guys, we're going to Ohio. As of last night, three female bodies have been found in the Columbus area. Police have deduced that it's probably the work of the same guy, because the MO is the same in each case. He rapes and stabs them in alleys and leaves them there. All the women are blonde and in their thirties. He leaves no trace of himself at the scene," JJ briefed them, flipping through graphic crime scene photos on the board.

"This feels like a blitz attack, and while the victims are similar in appearance, they are victims of opportunity. There's no evidence of stalking, not when he was just lying in wait for them," Rossi analyzed.

"He's highly organized. He probably wears a condom when he rapes them as a forensic countermeasure. He's obviously acting out his rage on surrogates; the specific characteristics of each victim shows that they are just substitutes for the target of his true anger-which would be a wife or girlfriend, most likely. However, he's controlled; he hasn't begun devolving yet," Reid commented, intently studying the photos.

During the whole discussion, Morgan had completely zoned out. His primary concern at this point was not the case, but Penelope. Where was she? It was unlike her to not call him if she was going to be out for a day. Their closeness, the mutual trust they had in one another was one of the best things in his life. He was afraid to voice to himself what he really felt: love. He, the player, was in love with a woman that already had a boyfriend.

The whole situation was so frustrating, at least for the past three years. Ever since Penelope had started dating Kevin Lynch, Derek's world had been bleaker. He now wasn't the only one she could lean on when she was crying, the only one that could tell her he loved her. Derek felt petty for being so jealous of that computer geek, especially since he knew he had far more desirable qualities. Why couldn't Pen see how much he loved her? How much he would give up for her, including his own life? She'd always laughed off his compliments, never really believing them to be true, that much he could tell. But why wouldn't she think he was serious, that he wanted to go out with her more than he wanted anything else in the whole world?

"Sorry I'm late," a familiar voice broke into Derek's thoughts. He lifted his eyes as he saw Penelope slink into her chair.

"Are you okay?" he whispered to her. She shrugged, then shook her head, not wanting to talk about it. Not wanting to tell him how she had cried herself senseless until dawn, only catching a few hours of sleep.

"I….I'm fine, Derek," she muttered back. This time, Morgan caught a glimpse of her eyes and felt defeated when he saw they were bloodshot.

After the briefing finished, the team split up, gathering their things for the trip to Columbus. Derek, however, followed Penelope to her office, an act that wasn't missed by his baby girl.

"Derek, I already told you I'm okay. You don't have to follow me around." But Derek didn't budge.

"Sweetheart, I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen you this upset. Why don't you tell me what's going on?" He leaned down slightly and stroked her cheek, feeling the ghosts of tears under his fingers.

"It's not that I don't trust you, Morgan, but…it's…just….a sensitive issue," Penelope mumbled, casting her eyes downward.

"All right, then. You don't have to tell me. Just know I am here for you to talk to if you need someone to listen." He turned to leave, but suddenly Penelope grabbed his arm.

"Kevin and I broke up." As soon as her words were out, Derek felt a cornucopia of emotions. He felt sorrow for Penelope, knowing that she must be heartbroken. At the same time, however, he couldn't help but be somewhat elated. Maybe now he would get a chance with her, a chance to prove that he was the right man for her. He was disgusted that he could feel even one morsel of happiness when his best friend was suffering, but such was the nature of his feelings for her.

"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry," he soothed, pulling her into his arms for a tight hug. Penelope hung onto him, allowing her tears to fall onto his shirt.

"I think it was a long time coming, to be honest. We had irreconcilable differences." She decided to leave out the tiny detail that _Derek _was the cause of these differences.

"Still, though, I know you must be hurting," he consoled, lightly stroking her hair.

"I'll move on. There are other fish in the sea," she replied, though without any enthusiasm whatsoever. "It's just…..I'll go back to being boring old Garcia with no life at all."

"It doesn't have to be that way. How about we go out this weekend and do something fun? Just the two of us, like what we did before you and Kevin started dating." Derek's heart was madly racing as the words stumbled out of his mouth. Although he truly wanted the date to be much more than it had ever been, he didn't want to scare her off, especially the night after a painful breakup.

"Derek, I don't need some pity date," she responded, though in truth, those words were the ones she'd always dreamed of hearing from him.

"It isn't a pity date. I've been wanting to go out with you for a long time. How about we meet at your favorite restaurant on Saturday evening? It's Monday, so we'll probably be done with the case by then." Although he would much rather pick her up at her apartment to make it more of a date, he didn't want to force himself on her, at least not this soon.

"As much as I want to spend time with you, I don't want to hold you back," Penelope whispered. "Wouldn't you rather grind against some hot girls in a club than hang out with boring old me?"

"Trust me, Baby Girl, I will have way more fun at dinner with you than with one hundred girls at the clubs." Derek began to pray fervently that she would accept his invitation. A second denial by her would crush him inside.

"I guess I'll go with you," she finally relented, not allowing him to see how ecstatic she was. She felt weird about the whole thing, if she were honest with herself. Why didn't she want to pine away for Kevin a few weeks before hitting the town again?

The answer was crystal clear in an instant: Kevin wasn't the one she was in love with, Derek was. Surely though, he didn't feel the same way about her. As much as he vehemently denied it, this was a pity date and nothing more. A one-time thing, something meant to cheer her up, that was all. Nothing would become of it, no matter how hard she wished otherwise.

"That's great!" Derek smiled, interrupting her train of thought. "So, Saturday at seven, okay?" Penelope nodded, giving him one last hug before turning to her computers.

Derek left her office, closing her door behind him. Silently, he muttered, 'I love you' to the wooden surface. He was apprehensive and yet hopeful about Saturday night. Maybe he would finally get to say what he should have said years before.

As Penelope heard Derek's retreating footsteps, she whispered, 'I love you' to the air. Already she was nervous about Saturday. As much as she wanted to admit her feelings to him…..she knew it was futile.

_Bittersweet irony. _


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Glad that one's over!" Derek exclaimed, leisurely flopping himself down on the jet's couch.

"For more reasons than one," JJ muttered teasingly. Puzzled, Derek sat up and looked at her suspiciously.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing. It's just…you have plans for tonight, right?" JJ flashed him a grin, her eyes alight with a mischievous glint.

"How would you know?" Derek inquired, a mock suspicion lacing his tone of voice.

"Oh, a little bird told me," JJ replied airily, leaning her head back and closing her eyes, the ghosts of her joke still pasted on her face. Derek smirked, realizing that Penelope must've spread the word about their dinner date. That had to be a good sign, right? At least she had thought about it some, maybe gotten excited about it. He knew for sure that she couldn't be as happy about it as he was. After all, he loved her, not the other way around. He sighed and closed his eyes. Remembering.

"_Dad, how did you meet Mom? And how did you know she was the right one for you?" a young Derek Morgan asked as he heaved the football to his father._

"_Why do you ask?" his dad chuckled, tossing the oblong ball back to his bright-eyed ten year old son. _

"_I don't know," Derek replied, tracing the football's stitching with his fingers. "I'm just curious, I guess." He didn't want to admit to his tough-as-nails-cop father that he had a crush on the neighbor girl._

"_Well, I met your mom at our senior prom. The girl I was taking out wasn't my type at all; in fact, I was forced to take her as a dare. Anyway, I was just sitting around with my date, not really in the mood to dance, when I saw her. She was standing by the punch bowl, looking a little out of place. At that moment, I knew I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life. Don't ask how. I just felt it, deep within my soul. I asked her to dance with me, and she accepted."_

"_So…if I get a special kind of feeling in my heart….I'll know that it's the right girl for me? That sounds kind of stupid." Derek tried hard to hide what he truly felt about what his dad said. He chucked the football back, ogling at the artistic spiral it made as it sailed through the air._

"_Love isn't stupid, Derek. When the time comes, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. And, God willing, I will be there to watch it happen-and don't be surprised if I remind you of this conversation and laugh about it."_

Derek awoke just as the plane began its descent, smiling with the memory, near-crying with the bitter irony of his dad's words, the words about him being there to watch it happen. He tried to shake off his sorrow quickly, though.

Because he knew that he was going through exactly what his father had described. The feelings, the emotions that words couldn't fit, that personified how he felt about Penelope. She was the girl by the punch bowl, without a date, and he was about to swoop in and ask her to dance.

Penelope had never felt so nervous. As she fervently kneaded her hands, her mind raced millions of miles a minute. _Was she wearing the right clothes? Was her hair and makeup okay? Was it a bad move to come to the restaurant entrance seven minutes early? Should she call and see if he was on his way? _Ix-nay on the last one, definitely. She didn't want to sound pushy.

"Hey there, Baby Girl. You look gorgeous!" Derek cried, interrupting her harried thoughts. He briskly strode up to her and enveloped her in a hug. After all, they'd been separated by several states for the past few days.

"You don't look too bad yourself, handsome!" Penelope replied, her eyes tracing his crisp black suit and tie.

"Sorry I'm a couple minutes late," he apologized, ever so slightly lowering his head.

"It's not a problem-I just got here myself," Penelope lied, not wanting him to feel like he owed her anything. This, really, was too much as it was.

"Should we go in now?" Derek asked, gently wrapping his arm around her waist. Penelope nodded and reciprocated the action.

The restaurant itself was absolutely impeccable. Strands of violin music floated around the lively yet passive atmosphere. The décor was neither too uppity nor too shabby. A waiter immediately sat them, as Derek had had the foresight to reserve a table. They ordered a bottle of wine, which was something that surprised Penelope because she always saw Derek as someone who wasn't into that kind of thing, and pasta.

"Are you enjoying yourself, sweetheart?" he asked after a few minutes of silent chewing.

"Derek, I would enjoy myself even if we were in a greasy fast-food joint eating stale chicken nuggets," Penelope replied, smiling. "This is perfect." Derek nodded, though he seemed to be a bit preoccupied. Finally, he spoke.

"You do know that this isn't just because of Kevin leaving, don't you?" Penelope looked up from her plate, wondering exactly where the question was leading to.

"I guess," she shrugged. "I guess if it was a pity date, we wouldn't be here. I have the feeling that you would take a pity date to a movie or something."

"So….why do you think I took you out?" Derek's heart was beating as he let the words fall out of his mouth.

"As…friends…right?" Penelope asked, not daring to hope for what her heart screamed for. Derek was silent for a minute.

"Penelope…..I want to tell you something that I've wanted to tell you for a long time: I love you. And not like a friend. I'm _in _love with you. For me, this isn't just a friendship dinner. It's a real date, a first of what I hope and pray is many dates."

"…Y-You mean that?" Penelope stuttered, her eyes filling up with tears. Oh, for so long her heart had craved these very words. They'd filtered through her dreams, clouded her mind…..she'd just never expected to hear them for real.

"I've never meant something more than I am right now," he told her, lightly placing his hand on hers. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah….It's just…..I'm so happy you said that….because I'm in love with you too." Derek's lips parted in shock. Her response was what he had least suspected. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

"And….I hope that we are able to do this more, too," Penelope continued, trying to reengage him, as she had noticed his disbelief. Derek grinned from ear to ear at her words.

"I don't think I've ever been happier in all my life," he finally managed to say.

"Me neither."

"Derek, you didn't have to follow me home…..but I'm glad you did," Penelope commented as they stood next to the door to her apartment.

"I'm regretting I didn't just pick you up and then take you home," he replied. "Either way, I still have a chance to do something I've always wanted to do." He leaned forward slightly, his heart jumping inside his chest.

"Well, I'm glad you have the chance now," Penelope whispered back, her lips finally meeting his in an earth-shattering kiss.

It was as though the world had stopped turning, such was the intensity of their kiss. Derek's tongue ran along the crevices of her mouth, finding the perfect chemistry within it. They wrapped their arms around the other, cradling each other close, reveling in the magical moment they were creating.

"This definitely wasn't a pity date," Penelope murmured after having to break the kiss due to a need for oxygen. Derek smiled at her.

"Would you mind if I picked you up tomorrow? We could spend some time together, especially since I'll have to leave the next day for a case." He hoped he wasn't rushing things. Penelope, after all, was still getting over Kevin, though he hoped the kiss they shared was helping her move past that guy.

"I wouldn't mind a bit," she smiled, pecking him on the cheek. "Thank you for tonight, for everything."

"The pleasure was all mine." Penelope gave him one last kiss on his face before entering her apartment. Derek stared at her door for a few minutes, simply marveling in the sheer perfection of the evening.

"How did I do, Dad?" he whispered to the heavens as he walked to his car.

_FYI, Derek's memories with his dad are SUPER important, so just hang with it, okay? I hope you guys enjoyed. More soon! Gracias for the reviews!_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

_So sorry for the delay in updates…I cannot even begin to describe what I've been through for the past days (family issues, computer screwing up, and unmentionable business)…..anyway-on to the story! Thanks for the reviews and I apologize for the lack of review replies….I'll try to do better from now on!_

Penelope was on cloud nine the next afternoon. It was as though all of her dreams had suddenly all come true—and it was only one kiss. Her life had never felt so perfect, so right as it did now. She was pleasantly surprised that she felt little to no unease at the sudden escalation in her relationship with Derek. Maybe it was meant that they were to be together? It was a unique notion to her. Her biological parents certainly hadn't been meant to be soul mates.

_The fighting. Even as an innocent-yet-precocious eight year old, Penelope could barely stomach their constant, ear-splitting quarrels that would carry on incessantly until the wee hours of the morning. Their menacing, cold tones would slowly crescendo until they had reached a zenith of primal screaming. It was almost too much to bear. _

_Nothing Penelope's father ever did was right. Her overprotective, self-assured mother seemed to always find something wrong with him, from his haphazard attire to his lack of attention towards his daughter. Penelope personally disagreed with the last one: Daddy had always been there for her. Sure, he always seemed a bit preoccupied, his eyes always darting around and his body twitching, but he was solidly present. But her mother, whether intentional or not, was neglecting this truth. _

_It shouldn't have been a big surprise that he had come into her bedroom one morning, suitcase in hand, to tell her that he was leaving. She'd begged him to stay, her tiny body wracked with sobs that seemed to erupt from the deepest longings she'd ever had. But he'd flicked the tears off his shirt…_

"_It's all for the best," he'd repeated over and over, awkwardly cradling his daughter to his chest. And then he'd left her room…without looking back at what he was leaving behind._

"Derek's not Dad," Penelope voiced aloud to herself, snapping back to the present day. "He wouldn't leave me like that. He wouldn't say goodbye and then just walk out without looking back."

Just then, her phone vibrated. _Dress casual, baby girl. I'm on my way., _Derek had texted. Smiling to herself, Penelope tried to figure out what exactly she and him would be doing.

Derek, meanwhile, was drumming his fingers nervously against the steering wheel of his car, which sat outside Penelope's apartment building. The bouquet of flowers was perched neatly on his lap, a gesture he desperately hoped didn't seem too rushed or insincere. He wanted today to be perfect, something that they could look back on and remember forever.

Knocking on her door, he felt his heart slamming against his chest and tiny beads of sweat forming on his forehead. _Calm down, it's only Pen. She's your best friend. _Well, at one point that was true…but she certainly was more than his friend now. _My girlfriend. _Derek liked how the words tasted on his tongue. She was _his _now, fully his.

"Hey," Penelope greeted him somewhat abashedly, opening the door all the way and gesturing for him to enter.

"You look great," Derek commented as his eyes falling upon the colorful ensemble she had on. Even though he had said casual, it hadn't stopped her from donning ballet flats and a soft purple skirt.

"So do you," she replied. "You don't look half bad for a florist." It was then that Derek remembered he was clutching the flowers. Feeling like an idiot, he sheepishly handed them to her.

"They okay?" he asked, finally finding his voice.

"Perfect," Penelope answered, inhaling their scent deeply. She quickly arranged them in a vase while Derek watched, trying to regain composure. Great. Not even five minutes and he already felt off his game.

"So…..where are we going?" Right. The actual _date. _As if on cue with Derek's current disposition…..a crack of thunder was heard.

"Damn," Derek whispered.

"What?"

"That takes care of that, then. We were going to drive over to this great park that's a little bit away. It's pretty nice there. But I guess the weather had other plans."

"We can find something else to do," she soothed, noticing his slight agitation. "Calm down, Derek. It's only me. You don't have to have the foolproof plans just to try and impress me." She tilted her head upwards and pecked his cheek.

"Well, what do you want to do?"

Half an hour later, Derek found himself inside of a warm and dry movie theater. The flick playing was, surprisingly, an action movie. He wouldn't have suspected that Penelope was into that; based on the movies they used to watch on her couch, he would've assumed that she would have preferred a more romantic selection.

"Want some popcorn?" he asked her, and Penelope accepted the big bucket he proffered. They sat in contented silence as the film began.

About twenty minutes in, Derek slyly reached his hand into the bucket of popcorn, brushing against hers, which had been resting against the side for the entire time. Penelope did not miss the gesture. She coyly stroked his hand with her fingertips. Derek set the popcorn down on the floor and gently laid his hand on hers. Within a minute, they were grasping each other's hand tightly as the action danced and zipped along the big screen.

"You okay?" Derek whispered into her ear during a particularly nasty scene.

"As long as I can rest my head against my Chocolate Adonis, I'm perfectly fine," Penelope responded, leaning her head against his shoulder. Smiling broadly, Derek took the opportunity to wiggle his hand out of her grip and wrap it around her waist, placing a kiss on her head.

Five minutes later….he was placing kisses on her lips and she was reciprocating. The movie was long forgotten as the pair became completely engrossed in each other. Derek's heart raced as his lips encased her sweet ones, his tongue tasting every crevice of her mouth. Her arms were wrapped around him, and he'd never felt more complete in his entire life.

They didn't break apart until the lights filtered through the darkened theater, signaling the end of the movie.

"Best action flick ever," was his only analysis as they drove back to her place. Penelope punched his arm lightly as she laughed.

"You did seem to be enjoying yourself," she mused. "That was wonderful, Derek. I know we didn't get to do what you planned, but, really, anything I get to do with you is the best."

"I completely agree," he smiled back. He felt like the luckiest man in the world…until his phone buzzed.

"Damn, a case came in."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

_Okay, so what's coming up is a bit of a rip-off from "Exit Wounds"…but revamped! Hope you are enjoying so far! Quick disclaimer: the town the team is heading to is a real town (that I've been to a lot but I don't live in) so all mannerisms are as accurate as possible and are not in any way trying to offend anyone._

"I hope whatever this is that it was worth calling me on a Sunday evening," Derek grumbled as he and Penelope entered the round table room.

"Trust me, Morgan. They need our help on this one," JJ mumbled to him as she handed him a file. Turning to face the whole team, the media liaison flipped to a particularly gruesome crime scene photo on the board.

"Dubois, Indiana. Last night, Sue Edwards became the fourth victim of our Unsub. She was found in her home raped and stabbed repeatedly." Penelope squeezed her eyes shut, not allowing the terrifying images filter through her vision.

"That's a lot of overkill. Whoever the unsub is, he's got a lot of rage. Maybe a particular woman pissed him off in the past and now he's attacking surrogates. The other three vics look pretty similar to Sue Edwards," Derek commented, holding the hard copy photos closer to his eyes.

"This town is incredibly small. Their population is around five hundred. The police aren't actually stationed in the town. Believe me, they need our help. He's killing every three days, which means in two days, there will be another body."

"He might be stalking them. I mean, he knew when their husbands and children were gone. The scene was free of prints, according to the minimal police help, so he's pretty organized. However, I don't know if we can take their reports seriously-and the scene is already contaminated," Reid mused.

"Yeah, but Reid, it's a _tiny _town. Everyone knows everybody's schedules. If it's a local, it wouldn't be that hard to figure out when the women were alone," JJ countered.

"Wheels up in an hour. I want to get there tonight, because we can't afford to waste any time. Garcia, I've read over everything, and I think it would be best if you came with us. The Internet is not that reliable over there, and sometimes phone service can be totally screwed as well. It's best if you're with us," Hotch announced. Penelope, perplexed, nodded.

_On the plane, after the case discussion_

"You okay?" Derek whispered into Penelope's ear. She shrugged her shoulders and remained silent for a moment.

"Um….it's just…those women…what they went through….and then coming to where it all happened….." Her words came out all mixed up and masked by shame. She felt like an idiot. Derek merely nodded and wrapped his arm around her, ignoring the confused look Prentiss threw him from the other end of the jet.

"I know, baby. I know. Our job is tough. But see, if you come with us, it'll make catching the bastard that did it that much easier." Derek's heart felt heavy as he tried to comfort her. He realized that what Penelope saw on a daily basis was probably worse than what he saw; the images that came onto her screens were so much more graphic than a mopped-up crime scene. Her empathetic nature caused her to feel every case that much more, but her concern for everyone was one of the things he loved most about her.

"You are ever my hero, handsome," Penelope replied. "And you're right. I think I need to build a thicker skin or something." In that instant, Derek felt guilty. He hadn't meant her to take it like that.

"I didn't say to do that, sweetheart, and I'm sorry if you feel like you have to do that. You don't have to do anything but be yourself. And you know why? Because that self is the one I fell in love with. I didn't fall in love with someone jaded and insensitive. I fell in love with someone who cares about everyone, who sees the beauty and value in everything. That part of you will never change and I won't let it."

"Derek….I don't need you to protect me." Even so, Penelope found herself profoundly touched by his words.

"Tough. I think I'm going to stay on the job a little while longer," Derek told her, bringing her closer into the embrace they shared. He was grateful that the rest of the team appeared to be dozing, though he had a faint suspicion that Prentiss was faking. He didn't want to have to worry about frat rules during such an intimate, sacred moment.

"Yeah? Well, how much longer?" Penelope asked, leaning her head on his sturdy shoulders, instantly feeling safe and protected while close to his well-defined muscles.

"Every day of my life," Derek replied, leaning over and kissing her head. Penelope felt tears of pure joy welling in her eyes.

"I love you, Derek Morgan," she murmured.

"And I love you, Penelope Garcia," he reciprocated, relieved that she hadn't brushed off his sincere words. They were true, all of them. He wouldn't want her to change for the world, because to him, she was the world. He would just have to prove it to her.

After a few minutes, Derek realized that the weight on his shoulder was starting to get heavier. Glancing down, he smiled. Penelope was fast asleep, her eyes closed serenely, her lips shut in a contented smile.

"Sweet dreams, princess," he whispered into her ear and kissed her forehead. Not caring if it would look awkward to the rest of the team, he carefully rested his head on top of hers and settled in for a nap, never once breaking their embrace. It looked as though he was protecting her from the world.

After all, he had said "every day of my life."

_Every day._

_Some promises are meant to be broken…_

_Okay, bit of a teaser there! Might have to keep reading to find out what that's about (99999999 American dollars you won't LOL). Please review! I **swear **I will start replying to those._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

_I so was going to post this earlier…but….events happened. Probably nothing tomorrow, as this is my 16th birthday weekend! Huzzah! But here is something to tide my wonderful readers over….muchas gracias para los reviews! Keep them coming, por favor!_

"That Dubois police chief sure is a treat," Derek remarked sardonically as the team gathered in the makeshift conference room the police station had assembled. He was referring to the brusque, tough-as-nails Chief Helen Hopf, whose bark, though formidable, probably wasn't as bad as her bite.

"Don't be too tough on her, Morgan. She's going through a divorce," Reid piped up.

"How do you know that?" Penelope asked as she sat down with her laptop at the table.

"Her fourth finger had a tan line on it," the boy genius aloofly responded, also taking a seat.

"I hate profilers. Why do you have to be so damn smart?" she teased. Just then, Hotch entered the room.

"I just called the hotel and I've got some bad news. We're going to have to double up. A troupe of accordion players booked up most of the available rooms." His announcement didn't come out as grave as expected, as it caused the whole team to laugh.

"Don't laugh. Accordion players are an intense breed." For possibly the first time, Hotch's mouth broke into a smile. Laughter was perhaps the best way to ease the extreme tension of their job.

"I'm not sleeping with Morgan," Reid announced, casting a smirk Derek's way. "Payback."

"Good, because I know exactly who I want in my room tonight," Derek replied, striding over to Penelope and lightly placing a hand on her shoulder. Hotch looked up, and, to Derek's immense surprise (and overwhelming relief), nodded.

"Derek and Penelope, sitting in a tree," JJ and Emily sang simultaneously, then burst into laughter, ignoring Penelope's mortified stare.

"Like you thought you could hide snuggling with her on the plane," Emily joked to Morgan.

"Hey, guys, not to spoil this sudden 'revelation', but I think we should review quickly the facts of the case we do know," Rossi suddenly broke in, grounding the whole team.

After much reviewing of the facts, the team headed for the hotel. It was quite late, and they knew that staying up through the night would not really help in cracking the case. Although they were aware of the time constraints, in that the Unsub would strike in less than 48 hours if he kept with the same timeline, mulling over the same psychological behaviors of the killer wouldn't have been as beneficial as getting some sleep.

Personally, Derek was grateful that he and Penelope could now spend some time away from graphic photos and the omniscient eyes of his coworkers. He could tell from her body language that Penelope felt the same way.

"So…..we're alone now," she teasingly whispered once they'd settled into their room. The room itself was surprisingly spacious, which was partially due to the fact that…

"There's only one bed," Derek commented. "I'll take the floor, okay?"

"Derek….." Penelope tried to argue, but his soft yet stern look at her silenced her before she could finish verbalizing her thoughts.

"What kind of man would I be if I made my girl lie on a dust covered floor?" His words melted her heart. Maybe it _was _possible that he really did love her in that way. After all, he had embraced her as she slept on the jet, right? So really, there was no reason to doubt him now. _He wasn't her dad, he wasn't her dad, he wasn't her dad, he wouldn't leave her, he wouldn't leave her._

"Earth to Penelope, earth to Penelope," Derek broke in. "You okay there, baby girl? You seem pretty deep in thought."

"Yeah, fine," Penelope responded, giving him a half-smile. "It's just been a long…and kind of awkward day. I didn't really think we would have to tell them about our-our…..relationship like that."

"Fair point," Derek replied with a laugh. "But at least we don't have to worry about Hotch going postal about us. I don't have to have any qualms about….." He bent down slightly and kissed her lips softly. "But I don't think that's all that is bothering you, sweetheart."

"Never mind about that, Derek. It's stupid." She lowered her head slightly, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights. There was no way he was going to drop it, of course.

"Spill, Penelope. There's no one else I would want to talk to right now, anyway. You can come to me with anything. No secret or sin is strong enough to keep me away from you, and that is a promise."

_A promise…_

"I just have a fear that…..maybe….one day you would just up and leave me."

"Why would you think I would do that to you, baby girl?" Derek asked, somewhat shocked and hurt.

"It's-It's not you, Derek, okay…..this is why I didn't want to tell you…it has nothing to do with you. It's…just that, when I was younger, my dad left me. He let me down. I'm just afraid to get my hopes up….only for them to crash to the ground, especially so soon after Kevin left. It's stupid, right?"

"Anything but, sweetheart," Derek answered, carefully pulling her into an embrace. "You suffered a trauma. I can relate. I had a hard time moving on after my dad died, you know that. What you are feeling is totally normal. I guess my mistake was moving in on you too quickly. It's just that I'm so in love with you that I could hardly resist-and I don't mean that just in a lustful way. I'm in love with everything that makes you you, baby girl."

"Why are you so perfect, handsome?" Penelope asked through the tears that were clogging her throat. "Why do you always restore me?"

"It's only to reciprocate what you do for me, sweet lady," Derek answered. "And I _am _sorry if I've caused you any type of pain. But I want to assure you that leaving you is the last thing on my mind. You can't get rid of me that easily, remember?"

"I remember now. And you haven't caused me any pain. Rather, you alleviate it. That might be one of the top ten of the thousands of things I love about you, Derek." Penelope paused for a moment until she could find the right words for her request. "And….do you think…it would be okay…..if you held me tonight?"

A beaming smile crossed Derek's face. There was nothing else he would rather do than wrap his goddess in his arms and chase away any bad thoughts she could have during the night.

"It would be an honor to do so," he replied.

At about 5 AM, Penelope awoke….and then couldn't go back to sleep. Thoughts of Derek were careening through the caverns of her mind…and she couldn't find any respite from them. Carefully, as to not awaken the beautiful man next to her that still had her hand in his and an arm outstretched as though it was wrapped around her waist (and had slipped during the night), she exited the bed.

Penelope ventured outside. Fog blotted the sky, making it a drab and murky gray. The air was cool and sticky. The grass poked her feet, and she realized she had foolishly forgotten her slippers.

_Crack! _Startled, Penelope whirled around. A masked man, wielding a gun, stood mere inches from her.

"Put your hands on your head and kneel down. I promise this won't hurt a bit," the man growled, placing his finger on the trigger.

She squeezed her eyes shut…..preparing for the inevitable end.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

_Okay, so I kinda left it on a cliffhanger! So the direction I'm going to take this whole thing is probably non-traditional but I swear it will all make sense by the end. However, I came up with what (I hope) is a pretty original idea for later and it's the whole reason why I started writing this. So…oh yeah I'm so excited because I got a Criminal Minds shirt for my birthday (and yes I MAY have pecked Derek….I may have)!_

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

Penelope's heart drummed ferociously in her chest. She counted each beat as it came. How many more would she have left? How many more breaths would she be allowed to take before the end came?

She had so many regrets. So many things left unsaid, undone. She should've kissed Derek before she left….she should've whispered 'I love you' before she left his side. She should've given up Kevin a long time ago so she could've had more time with Derek. So many should haves, so many what ifs. So many relationships unmended, so many joys that were expected to come but no longer would.

"Maybe your death will teach that FBI team that I mean business!" the gunman cried, striking the butt of the gun against her forehead. Pain exploded like a jagged firecracker through her head. Black spots dotted her vision as she fought to remain conscious. Blood trickled down her face….though, if he came through on his promise to kill her, she wouldn't need that blood anyway.

"Y-You don't have to kill me to teach them that," Penelope quivered. "There's probably another way to do that….without so much….mess."

"SHUT UP, YOU BITCH!" the cloaked man exclaimed, pistol-whipping her hard. If the first time had been painful at all, it was nothing compared to the most recent strike. The searing agony caused bile to rise up in her throat and she had to fight hard to not throw up. She could feel herself beginning to pass out.

"I…love…..you…Derek," she whispered, bracing herself for the imminent blackness.

"PUT THE GUN DOWN NOW!" It was Derek. Impossibly, inexplicably, he was there, gun in hand, his face radiating cold fury.

"NO! SHE MUST DIE SO THE FBI WILL LEARN THAT I MEAN BUSINESS! THAT I AM CAPABLE OF KILLING EVEN THE MOST DEFENSELESS OF PEOPLE!"

"You shit! You dumb shit! You think killing her teaches us something? You're the dumbest and sorriest bastard I've ever seen! Put the gun down!" Derek was no longer in control of his emotions or his words. All he was concerned about was that Penelope, the love of his life, was bleeding and barely conscious on the ground. His heart was beating uncontrollably at the horrible prospect of losing her, especially to this simple bastard.

"And what if I don't?" the gunman taunted, squaring the gun at Penelope's forehead and moving to squeeze the trigger. His finger never activated the bullet. Derek's bullet hit him first. He was dead before he hit the ground.

"Penelope! Baby girl!" Derek rushed over to her side, ignoring the dead man next to her. He laid his finger against her neck and found a speeding pulse. "Can you hear me, sweetheart?"

"Derek?" she murmured, struggling to keep her eyes open. "Is he…..is he gone?" She moaned softly and Derek felt his throat constrict. He gently began to inspect her wounds and applied pressure to the source of the bleeding.

"He's gone, princess. He won't be able to hurt you anymore. I heard you leave…and I got up a couple minutes later to see if you were okay."

"My hero," she replied with gratitude. "You saved my life, Derek. He was about to kill me."

"I don't know who that guy is, or what the hell that was about, but I'm so relieved that you're still here, baby. I don't know what I would do without you."

"And I don't know what I would do without you, my protector." Derek sensed she was weakening and so he gripped her hand tightly in his.

"Oh shit! I should call an ambulance!" he suddenly cried, fumbling for his phone. After calling in an ambulance, he turned his attention towards Penelope.

"Baby, I know you're tired right now, but try to stay awake to listen to me, okay? There's nothing that would keep me from protecting you. You hear me? Nothing. That is a promise. I may not be a knight in shining armor, but I have sworn an oath to always keep you safe, and I don't intend to break it any time soon."

"….Thank…..you…..Derek," Penelope whispered. "I…..love….you." Her eyes began to close.

"Sweetheart, I love you too, but please keep your eyes open for me. Just for a little while." Even though the wounds weren't likely to be even close to fatal, Derek knew that if she lost consciousness, it certainly wouldn't help her.

Minutes passed…..though they felt like hours to Derek. Finally, the ambulance arrived. He was permitted, after much pleading, to ride with Penelope to the hospital.

Several hours later, the doctors cleared Penelope to leave. The team, who'd gathered in the hospital, was incredibly relieved.

"Derek, I just finished with the police. That gunman was our unsub. He devolved quickly and became stone drunk. He believed that if he killed a random civilian, it would scare off the FBI. I know it makes no sense, but there you are. They found a tiny trace of semen on one of the victims and matched that DNA to him," Hotch had informed him in the waiting room.

The whole thing was incredibly ridiculous, but everyone was relieved that it was over and that Penelope was going to be okay. She had a concussion and would have to rest for a few days, but other than that, she was fine.

"I honestly think that if I had to stay in the hospital overnight it would be worse than getting pistol-whipped," Penelope remarked to the whole team as they left, though she herself was in a wheelchair, as per hospital regulations. Everybody but the always-stoic Hotch and sullen Derek laughed.

"At least you still have your sense of humor," JJ quipped, squeezing her friend's hand. They departed for the hotel, where they would stay just for that night so that Penelope didn't have to jump on a plane so shortly after her ordeal.

"You know, Derek, the whole thing really was a blessing in disguise. I mean, we got the guy, right?" Penelope pointed out in their hotel room.

"Not hardly. It wasn't worth you getting hurt, not by a long shot."

"Yeah, but Derek, at least I know you'll always be around to protect me, right?"

"That's a promise, baby girl."

"Then all is well, Derek."

_For now._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

_Okay so that last chapter for me was a huge disappointment. Honestly, though, I'm really not in the mood to rework it. Thanks for reviewing and please keep doing that. I really love it._

"You can't be too down in the dumps when we get home at a decent hour," Penelope quipped as they finally arrived at Derek's house. He had demanded that she not spend the night alone, especially considering her concussion. If she became ill, he wanted to be able to help her.

"I guess," Derek agreed. "Especially since I have a beautiful lady in my house." Penelope snorted at his last remark. Okay, she wasn't hideously ugly, but she felt nothing like the stick-thin women usually draped over Derek's arms.

"You don't believe me, baby girl? You don't think you're beautiful?" Derek asked, his voice dramatically softening.

"Derek, I think you need to have your eyes checked. I'm. Not. Beautiful. End of discussion. Now, if you don't mind, I'd really rather go to bed than continue this." She started to turn for the guest room, but Derek held her back.

"Penelope, slow your roll. Just listen to me. I don't know why you don't think you're beautiful, but, trust me, you are. You're absolutely gorgeous, both inside and outside. You have this glow about you that never fades, no matter what, and that is what makes you beautiful to everyone you come in contact with, especially me."

"Derek, those are wonderful things to say, but come on, take a good look at me. I'm NOTHING like the people you usually date."

"Well, I suppose not. You're way better than them. They stay one night, Pen, one night. And they are definitely not the type I'd take a bullet for. They're definitely not who I'd give my life for to protect. That honor belongs to you, sweetheart. You're my girlfriend, the woman I love with all my heart."

"You…you mean that?" Penelope asked with a quiver, feeling tears prickle her eyes. He leaned down and began to kiss her passionately. For a few minutes, the only sounds that could be heard were moans of pleasure and the soft stroking of exposed flesh.

"I think you just got your answer, baby girl," Derek replied breathlessly. "You drive me crazy, woman."

_And then he continued to prove his words for the rest of the night…_

_Meanwhile…._

"I'm going to get that son of a bitch!" Ronald Hogan cried for the umpteenth time, raising his fist in the air. "Soon as I get out, that FBI agent is dead!"

"Shut the hell up!" his cellmate cried. "You're the most dumbassed guy I've ever been forced to be in contact with. It's no wonder he got you so quickly! Everyone knows you didn't hide the evidence one damn bit!"

"Did I ask for your sorry-assed opinion?" Hogan asked. "Minute I'm out of this hellhole, Agent Derek Morgan is as good as dead!"

"Like you're going to get out anytime soon, Ho," the cellmate replied dryly. "It will probably take you your whole sentence to figure out how to get to the bathroom, much less escape. You're such a pussy."

"As a matter of fact, I already have a plan."

"Yeah, right. Ronald Hogan, Most Likely to Win the Ultimate Idiot Award, has a plan to escape a high-security prison. You're not even considered smart enough to be in maximum security."

"It involves you getting out as well, dumb shit," Hogan mumbled. His cellmate's ears perked up.

"Spill."

_The Next Day_

"Derek, don't you think this is a little bit suspicious that we're showing up late…together?" Penelope asked as they rushed inside the FBI building. Needless to say, it had been a long night. Neither one had gotten very much sleep…but it was so worth it. That is, as long as they weren't going to be in trouble for their irresponsibility.

"Relax, baby. The whole team knows we're an item now."

"Yeah, but we won't be allowed to work together because it appears now that our relationship is affecting our job. I mean…..we're late….and you know Hotch has a thing about timeliness."

"Yeah, he has a thing, I guess," Morgan replied. "Did you get sent anything about the case?"

"Zilch, but, as the world never seems to run out of miscreants, I feel pretty confident that we're going have to put yet another bastard behind bars."

"Fair point there, sweetheart."

"Derek…..do you think that one day there won't be any more serial killers? That…..someday we could all just trade our guns for flowers and our knives for hugs? I know that sounds like hippie ideology, but, I mean, do you think it could ever be possible for evil to just…..end?"

For a few minutes, Derek was subdued in thoughtful silence. He tossed wise words and clever phrases around his head before finally voicing his true thoughts.

"I'd like to believe that we all have the capability to choose right over wrong. I guess when everyone decides to make the right choice…all this pain might go away. But it comes down to choice. You can choose to squeeze the trigger. You can choose to put the gun down. There's not really a gray area to it. But, baby, it's part of the reason why I am here in the FBI building today. Someone made a choice that changed my world forever. I'm just working to help prevent more young boys growing up without fathers. I'm just working to help as many people as possible make the right choice."

"And I think that's reason number 709 why I love you," Penelope murmured quietly as they entered the round table room. Derek smiled and pressed a gentle kiss onto her forehead. Suddenly, her phone buzzed, abruptly ending the rather emotional moment. She frowned when she saw the text was from Kevin, but she opened it anyway.

"_Someone accidentally called my office phone asking for you. It's urgent. Apparently…your biological father is in a hospice in California. I really don't know how to break this to you, Pen….he's dying._

_Kevin._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

_So here is that chapter that was SUPPOSED to go up last Friday..thanks for that Fanfiction. Please review and let me know if you're still reading! _

"Baby girl….your dad?" Derek asked hesitantly. He thought both her parents had been killed by a drunk driver when Penelope was eighteen.

"I guess," she responded, not looking up from the text.

"But….you told me he was dead." He hoped that he didn't sound pushy for information.

"My stepdad was the one that died in the wreck. I always refer to him as my dad….because my "real dad" abandoned me when I was eight," Penelope finally answered, using air quotes for emphasis.

"So…why would some hospice contact you now…when it's been like twenty five years?"

"I don't know. When he left…..I think I assumed he'd wiped his slate clean, that he'd forgotten about me. I mean…..he never sent anything to me, never called to see if I was okay or to wish me happy birthday. Maybe…..since he's dying…..he just wanted to let me know?" Penelope's emotions were muddled and confused inside of her brain. It was as though her whole world had been upended and tossed around like a fruit basket. Everything she had assumed to be true wasn't…and that was what unnerved her the most.

"Or….he wanted to make amends?" Derek murmured gently to her. "Maybe, now that he's on his deathbed…he feels bad about what he did to you. He might want to apologize." He gently laid his hand on her shoulder and stroked it with his thumb.

"I don't really care what his motives are, Derek. I'm not going to see him." Penelope's tone surprised even herself. It was bitter, laced with the harbored anger and hurt that had been kept at bay for years. She didn't really care if it sounded harsh, though. She was done with caring about anything that had to do with her father.

"I don't want to argue with you, sweetheart, but you might want to reconsider." Repulsed by Derek's words that, deep down, she knew weren't meant to provoke, she jerked away from him.

"Derek, you don't get it! You don't get how awful it feels to be left behind! Abandoned! Thrown aside like garbage! My dad left my room that day and didn't even look back! Didn't even care that my heart was breaking into tiny shards that have never quite healed! So don't tell me what to do! You don't understand!" Penelope could feel searing tears slice down her face like gilded daggers. Her pain, hidden under her vivacious clothing and cheery smile, was finally surfacing after lying in recluse for twenty five years.

"Oh, baby," Derek crooned, enveloping her into an embrace, ignoring her attempts to resist him. "Let it out. I know it hurts…I know. Even now, it still hurts. I know what you're going through." He could feel his own grief slipping down his face and nestling in the crook of Penelope's neck.

When she heard his words, she felt incredibly stupid. Of course Derek knew. His own father had been killed, for heaven's sake! Why the hell had she said that?

"You should go, Penelope. At least you have one last chance to heal your relationship with your dad. I mean…not everyone gets a second chance." There was a deafening silence for a few seconds.

"All right. All right. I'll go. But only because you said that it's a good idea," Penelope at last relented.

"Baby, that isn't a good reason to-''

"It's the only reason I have at all, though. I mean, you're right. I have one condition: you have to come with me. I can't do it alone."

"Anything for you, baby girl. I'll go. The hospice is in California, right?"

"I don't know. I'm going to text Kevin and get an address, okay?" After a few minutes, Penelope's phone vibrated fervently in her pocket.

"So…where is it?" Derek asked after a few moments of eerie, deathly quiet. Penelope appeared to be staring at her phone like she wished the words on it would vaporize if she concentrated hard enough.

"I've changed my mind, Derek. I don't think we should go," she finally croaked in a hoarse voice.

"Baby, where could he be that is so bad?" Derek carefully extracted the phone from her shaking hands. After reading the text, his eyes opened wide in shock.

"My father….my father…..is in a prison hospice."

"Do you…know what he's in for?"

"Of course I don't! I haven't even seen him since I was eight!" Penelope cried, grief clotting in her throat.

"Think, Pen. Do you remember hearing anything about him being arrested? I mean, maybe it's something minor."

"Well…I do remember my mom getting a phone call about five months after he left. She just cried and looked the angriest I'd ever seen her. For weeks after, she was really depressed, and whenever I asked her about it, she brushed me aside. She kept muttering 'It's all my fault'. I don't know why, but I feel like what my dad did is hidden in that."

"If that's true….then whatever he did…..must have been…bad," Derek gently told her. "Otherwise, he would've been out by now."

"I'll go. Prison or not. I need to know the truth about this, Derek," Penelope announced after her tears had settled. She'd never felt so determined about something until this very moment. She couldn't explain it; it was as though a fire was burning brightly inside her, a fire desperate to lead her to answers. To ignore the deepest desire of her heart would surely kill her. Whatever happened, it was worth the results, worth the risk.

"And I'll still come with you, for better or for worse," Derek assured her, gently kissing her temple.

_For better or for worse._

_A bit ominous there! So looking forward to the reactions over the next few chapters! And I wanted to hint that, throughout this story, I've put in a LOT of symbolism and foreshadowing elements that lead up to…..future events. So a lot of my random placings of things actually have a purpose._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

_Okay. So. I needed to take a break for a few days after I heard the news about Prentiss not coming back for Season Eight. I for sure will have a big Emily scene later in the story and will NEVER quit writing her in Fanfiction, even if the writers decide to kill her off. She's my second favorite character after Garcia, so that's that. Whew. Got it off my chest._

Nervousness. It was an emotion Ronald Hogan wasn't used to dealing with. Yet here he was, outside the FBI building, sweating his brains out.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, we JUST got out of prison. We should lay low for a few days, Hogan!" his former cellmate, Gregory Flood, warned.

"Don't tell me what to do! The time to strike is now! We will follow Agent Morgan home. We will learn his routine. And then…when he's at his weakest, we will end him!" Even in the dark of night, Flood saw the menacing glint in Hogan's eyes.

"I see him!" Hogan cried a few minutes later.

"Shut up….do you want to blow the whole operation? Who is he with?"

"It's hard to tell….looks like a girlfriend or something. Yep, he just kissed her. Who the hell would want to go out with him?"

"Never mind that, Hogan. Let's get in the truck and tail him!" The two escaped prisoners covertly scurried from their position behind some bushes and slunk into their waiting vehicle.

"Do you feel bad for ripping this ride off from that old bastard in the supermarket parking lot?" Flood panted as Hogan slowly steered them closer to Derek's black SUV that was also readying to leave. It looked like his girlfriend was with him.

"Hell, no. Nothing's getting in the way of me killing that son of a bitch Agent Derek Morgan! Nothing!"

"No offense, Hogan, but I did hear him comment to the police officer back at the jail that you were the stupidest guy he'd ever picked up. And, honestly, this plan has so many things that could go wrong in it. Can't say I blame him."

"Cut it, ya bastard, I got you out of jail, didn't I? I mean…you coulda ended up dying in that hellhole, for all you know!"

"He's stopping!" Flood suddenly cried. The pair watched as Morgan's SUV pulled into an apartment building parking lot.

"So…..this is where THE SSA Derek Morgan lives? Not really where I'd settle if I worked for the FBI. I mean, they get a lot of dough for it, right?"

"Figures. The bastard probably wastes it on shrooms and the ladies on the weekends," Hogan replied dryly. "Aw, hell, let's get him now!" He moved to open the truck door, but Flood held him back.

"Wait! We should keep a low profile for a few days, you know? I mean, if we get him now, right after two prisoners just got out of jail….it won't be hard for the other agents to find us and connect the dots!"

"Fine! Fine! We'll do it your way! I mean, it's not like this was my idea anyway!" Hogan ranted, gesticulating madly.

"It will be worth it, Ronald. It will be worth it when he's groveling on the ground, begging you for mercy. Trust me!"

"Trust is earned, Flood. But, all right, we'll wait a few days. Lay low. But Agent Morgan should know that when I'm forced to wait….it will only be worse for him."

_The next day, on the airplane to California_

"Have you ever felt like something bad is going to happen…but you don't know what it is or when it will take place?" Penelope asked abruptly, jolting Derek out of his meaningless daydreams. They had been on the plane for about half an hour, a time that had been mostly spent in a pondering silence.

"Like…a vision or something?" Derek questioned, lightly wrapping his arm around her waist.

"No….not exactly," she replied slowly. "It's like…..a feeling. Or…..like a shadow is covering my whole body. It's…hard to explain. I'm…..scared. I thought I was over the initial shock….and I guess I am….but fear replaced it."

"Hey, baby girl. Where did that _I'm going to find the truth no matter what _girl that I know go? You can do this. And you won't be alone. I'll be right by your side, no matter what happens."

"It's just….the last time I felt like this….was right before Reid got taken by Tobias Henkel," Penelope breathed, not hiding the worry laced in her tone.

"You never told me that," Derek responded. "But….he ended up okay, remember? So maybe that feeling…..doesn't have to mean what you think it does."

"I wonder if he'll even recognize me. I mean, he's dying, right? Will he even know my name by the time we get there? Will he be able to talk? Will he—

"Baby, look at me. All your worrying isn't going to help, okay? Remember, you wanted that second chance with him, the chance to forgive him for leaving you when you were younger. Even if he can't talk, you can still have that chance."

"You're right, handsome. I think I worry too much."

"Nothing wrong with caring about something, baby girl, nothing wrong with that all. It's only a problem if you get too stressed about it that you lose your original focus. I've been there before. Believe me, I have my own flaws. Stay with me long enough and you'll find all my idiosyncrasies."

"Oh, I plan to."

"What? Stay with me, or find the idiosyncrasies?"

"Now that, Derek Morgan, is something you'll have to figure out yourself." Both she and Derek burst out laughing.

"That's the Penelope Garcia I know and love."

_Prison Hospice_

"He's been restless all morning," one nurse, a Ms. Blanche Simpson, commented to her fellow RNs.

"His daughter is coming, remember? I think you'd be a little anxious if you hadn't seen your kid for twenty five years, even if you're on death's doorstep."

"To be honest, I won't feel too bad when he's gone. I mean, look at what he did! And in cold blood!"

"At least he didn't kill that kid that was there with the guy he shot, right? I have to say that I can't blame you, though. I wouldn't want to be left without a father in such a heartless way."

"I wonder if his daughter knows what he did."

"You're about to find out, ladies. A Ms. Penelope Garcia has just checked in at the front desk, asking for a Mr. William Birkeland."

_IT WILL ALL MAKE SENSE SOON, I SWEAR! REVIEW PLEASE! As for the whole thing at the beginning….see first sentence._


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Twenty five years. 300 months. 4383 days. 105191 hours, twenty minutes, and 45, 46, 47 seconds. That was how long it had been since she'd seen her father. Since she'd smelled his aftershave lotion, felt his firm chest under her fingers. Since she'd heard his low voice telling her that he was leaving. No, not just leaving. Abandoning. Abandoning her.

Yet, as Penelope walked into his hospital room, it felt like only yesterday since she'd been in such close proximity to him. She inhaled deeply, and, despite the odor of antiseptics and old age around her, she could still smell that unique smell of her father. It wasn't aftershave…it was just him. And then she looked into his eyes. They were that same iridescent blue…or maybe a ghost of it. It was as though they had been haunted by a great evil that had sucked the color from them.

"Penny." His voice, gravelly and raspy, struck a chord deep within Penelope' soul. Her heart melted at that one word, that one name that brought so many memories back with it. So many carefree days in the park, so many tranquil nights spent reading stories and exchanging goodnight kisses.

"Dad." At the sound of her voice, her father seemed to come alive. His aging eyes filled with tears that had been unshed for so many years as he took in the image of his long-lost daughter that had come to see him after all this time. He began to yank at the needles and wires that had coiled around him; so desperate was his yearning to get out of bed and wrap the only treasure left to him in his arms.

"Lay back down, Mr. Birkeland," the nurse in the room admonished. "You know stress on your body isn't healthy for you."

"To hell with my health; I'm dying anyway. This is my daughter!" _Is. _It seemed like a word out of place. _Was. She was your daughter. Until you abandoned her. _

"Are…." Penelope couldn't find the words for what to say next. She didn't know what would be appropriate for the situation at all. Turning to Derek, who was standing still and silent beside her, she begged with her eyes for some help. He only nodded in reassurance, and suddenly she knew what to do.

"Um, well, this is my…partner….Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan," she faltered, not knowing if her tone of voice seemed too strained. Derek stepped closer to the foot of the bed.

"Good to meet you, sir." There was a moment of silence. For the briefest iota of time, it seemed as though Penelope's father was deeply troubled about something. In the next instant, however, he settled.

"You've turned out so well, Penelope. Your mother must have done a great job raising you." It seemed like a generic comment, as though he was talking about gardening tips or the weather.

"You can take credit for the first eight years, I guess," Penelope mumbled begrudgingly. Her father noticed, as he visibly grimaced.

"…..I don't know what I can say about that, Penelope. Saying sorry…..I know…..won't make up for anything."

"You're right. It won't." Sure, her tone definitely came out cold. But why should she try to mask her emotions now? Her father-and she was using this term quite loosely-was dying soon…he'd said so himself. Lying, at this point, had little value.

"Just know that I still loved you. Love you even now. Nothing can change that. You're my daughter."

"Yeah, well, I don't think the dictionary calls it love when you abandon your family," Penelope replied dryly. She felt Derek take her hand in his and squeeze it in comfort. The pulse of his warm palm steadied her palpitating heart and unsteady emotions.

"I've always been so proud of you. Heard from some of my friends that you made it into the FBI. I was pretty grateful that you didn't follow in my footsteps."

"Where did your footsteps lead you so that you would end up here?" Penelope whispered. "I remember that my mom got a call a little while after you left….and that she was really upset afterwards. Did you do anything to make her feel that way?"

"I suppose I shouldn't try to avoid that little detail when you come all this way to see me," he responded aloofly. Then he sobered up instantly.

"It is something I have the utmost shame for, daughter, the utmost shame. Understand that."

"Dad, I don't think it really matters what my opinion on the matter is. Please just tell me what happened."

"Are you sure you wouldn't just like to leave your last memory of me as some old bastard lying in a bed, pitifully asking for forgiveness for leaving you?"

"I'm sure."

"All right, all right. It was a few weeks after I left. Understand, Penelope, that my behavior towards your mother was inexcusable. It was best that I left her. And maybe it was best that I wasn't much of an influence in your later childhood. Anyway, I was in Chicago, drunk as all get out. I was carefree, or so I thought. No nagging wife, no kid to watch over. I was independent, burden-free. But I was wrong. In perfect irony, my biggest burden comes from acting on my 'freedom.' In my drunken haze, I pawned off a gun from a guy on a corner. That's the power of alcohol for you. Brandishing it like I was a damn g-man like your boyfriend over there, I entered a shop. A cop, off-duty, who was there with his ten year old kid, yelled at me to put the gun down. I stood there and laughed like a damned fool. And then I pointed it at the kid. The cop got in front of him just as I let go of the trigger.

"The cop died. He bled out right there on the ground. And it was me that had killed him. I was drunk off my ass….and because of that…I killed a man. It goes beyond shame, beyond guilt, beyond words."

"What was the name of the cop?" Derek abruptly asked. Penelope turned to him, and was alarmed to find that he was extremely tense and that tears were forming in his eyes.

"I don't think I could ever forget it. William Morgan." _Morgan…_

"My father….that story sounds a hell of a lot like what happened to me…." The rest of Derek's words were swallowed by grief. "But…my mother told me they never got the guy."

"Oh, they got me fifteen months later. Can't help it if you weren't informed."

Nothing. Derek felt nothing. His soul felt like it had been vacuumed out of his body. Right before him…..was his father's killer. The killer of his childhood, of his innocence. Lying right there in a bed. Still breathing the oxygen his father was no longer able to.

"I've felt nothing less than absolute agony about what I've done…to both you and your dad….." Penelope's father muttered. _Penelope's father. _So…that meant…and suddenly Derek felt extremely sick.

"Derek…..Derek…..I'm sorry….I didn't know….." Penelope whispered as tears fell down her face.

"Get away from me," was all Derek could mumble as he stalked from the room. He knew if he looked at Penelope…all he would be able to see was her father laughing and pulling the trigger on his father, his innocence, his life.

_Congrats to Garmor for getting it right! _


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

It would have been better if Derek was screaming at her the whole plane ride home, Penelope decided midway through the trip. Maybe everyone would have stared at them, but at least she wouldn't have the thick silence pressing in on her from all corners. Instead, Derek was sitting absolutely still in his seat, making not a single sound. He rarely blinked, but when he did, it was as though his eyelids were radiating his anger and pain towards her.

It wasn't as though she wasn't having a hard time with the sudden revelation, though. _Murder. _The word tasted like a bloody bullet on her tongue. Her dad had _murdered _someone. The man she shared half her genes with….had killed the father of the most important person in her life. Betrayed. It seemed to be the only description even _close _to what she was truly feeling.

_I need to know the truth. _Words from her own mouth. They'd come back to haunt her in the most painful of ways. _Truth. _Was there even a clean-cut definition of truth for her anymore? Truth: William Birkeland was her father. Nothing could change that. Truth: William Birkeland was the murderer of Derek's father. Nothing could change that. Penelope yearned to go back in time, pluck out that new pink eraser she'd had in third grade, and use it to erase her father out of hers and Derek's lives. Use it to erase those terrible truths from her world so that her future was burden-free.

Suddenly, she felt incredibly sick. Without hesitating, she grabbed the air-sickness bag out of the seat pocket in front of her and hurled the entirety of her stomach contents into its white depths. A flight attendant immediately saw her plight and rushed to her aid, helping Penelope to the bathroom.

And Derek continued to sit there, not reacting to any of the events around him…

Later, at a bar in Quantico

Derek stared into his half-empty shot glass, wishing that he could somehow fall into its depths and reemerge in a world where the things he now knew to be true weren't. Closing his eyes, he unclenched every muscle in his body. Remembering.

"_Look at this football, Dad! Wow! It looks just like the ones the Bears have!" a ten year old Derek exclaimed._

"_I'd say so! Wow! The stitching is top-notch for sure! You'll be the next Mike Phipps with this baby!" the excitable salesman agreed. "And we've got a special right now: 20% off on new footballs!"_

"_All right, you two. I think you've persuaded the guy with the pocketbook. We'll take it-as long as you don't get your mother mad by throwing it around the house, Derek."_

"_It's a deal!" the young boy half-shouted. "Thanks, Dad."_

"_You're welcome." Suddenly, the sports shop door swung open violently, revealing a tall figure wielding a gun. In an instant, Derek's father had sprung into action, swiftly drawing his own weapon that had been stationed in his sock while he was off-duty._

"_Get behind me, Derek!" he cried, using his body to shield his son. Frightened, Derek complied. _

"_Put the gun down, or your bastard son dies!" the gunman shouted, though his voice sounded slurred and disoriented. Slowly, Derek's father knelt down and placed his firearm on the ground and raised his arms above his head._

"_All right. All right. I put the gun down. Now how about you do the same…and then we'll just talk it out. Nobody needs to get hurt."_

_BANG._

_Derek's father slumped to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut. _

_Blood poured freely from a circular wound in his forehead._

_He was gone._

"_DAD!" Derek cried. "DAD!" Tears streamed down his young face from eyes that had seen the ultimate evil._

"_Your dad is dead, kid. He's dead. He's dead!" the gunman shouted. And then he laughed. He **laughed **as Derek wept, tear of drunken and misplaced joy matching tear of overwhelming grief and horror._

_And then the gunman's face began to change. Slowly, it morphed into the image of….Penelope. The laugh became high-pitched, much more like hers. She, the woman that he'd trusted and loved whole-heartedly, was responsible for his pain._

_The laughter….continued on, a broken record that would screech forevermore into the deepest parts of his soul._

"Last call, everyone! Last call!" the bartender abruptly shouted, jolting Derek out of his twisted memory. "That means you, Mr. Pensive," the balding man continued, nodding his head at Morgan.

"I'll take another shot," Derek mumbled. "I'll take everything you got behind the counter, I guess."

"If you got about ten thousand bucks, it's a deal," the bartender responded lazily. "But, seeing as you're spending your evening at this deadbeat tavern, I highly doubt that. Besides, I don't want to do this kind of business with someone that looks as depressed as you do. Have a bad day?"

"A bad twenty five years, actually. Only I didn't know how bad it was until very recently." Derek watched as the bartender filled his shot glass to the brim. He wished that, if he stared long enough into the brown liquid, that it would swallow him up.

"Life's a big shit sandwich. We all got to take a bite of it sometime and get a taste of reality, I expect."

"Yeah, but finding out that the only person that you trust and love wholeheartedly is related to your father's killer is a bit more than a taste. It's like eating the whole damn sandwich at one time."

"That's rough. Wow. I've bartended for eighteen years. Thought I'd heard it all. Maybe now I have. Damn."

"Do you have anything stronger?" Derek asked, desperately wishing that he hadn't opened his mouth at all. He really didn't want to discuss this with someone who really had no idea how to console him.

"For most people, no. But…..for you, I think I could whip up something that will make you forget that your girl and her bastard father even existed." _Forget. Forget Penelope. Forget her dad. Forget all the time she spent with you. Forget her…because her dad hurt yours. Doesn't even matter that it wasn't her. It's still her fault for dragging you into her damn life._

Deep down, Derek knew that his reasoning was highly illogical. But logic matters little in the face of pure grief.

And so he drank to forgetfulness.

Three Hours Later

"Damn it!" Derek cried as his phone buzzed loudly, awakening him from his drunken slumber. "What the hell could anyone possibly want with me?" Disgusted, he flung the phone to the ground. Luckily, the floor was carpeted, so the screen didn't shatter, though the way he was feeling, he would have much preferred it to break into a million tiny pieces, just like his heart had.

Later

He awoke again, this time to find sunlight streaming through his window. His head felt like several tiny minions were slamming bowling pins against it.

"Never again," Derek muttered as he sat up slowly. Rubbing his temple with his thumb, he suddenly felt incredibly guilty and stupid. He still remembered yesterday's events. The alcohol had done nothing for him except give him a headache.

Looking down, he saw he had five texts. All from Prentiss. Didn't she have a life? Seriously, he didn't want to talk to her, or anyone, for that matter. Scowling, he opened the first message.

_Derek, you need to get over to Garcia's apartment. Now. Something has happened. _Yeah, right. It was probably a joke. Or a way to get him to talk to her, something he was certainly not interested in doing. He continued to open the texts.

_Derek, I don't know why you're not coming. This is an emergency. Someone attacked Penelope in her apartment. You need to get over here._

_Morgan, if you aren't going to come to the apartment, come to the hospital. Garcia's in surgery. She was hurt pretty badly…..and shot._

_She's still in surgery. The rest of the team is here…..why aren't you? You're her boyfriend…..why aren't you here for her?_

_Morgan, I don't know where the hell you are. I don't know why you aren't coming for Garcia. She's in intensive care, on life support. They don't think she's going to make it another 24 hours. If you care about her…then I expect you can bother to show up. I'll fill you in on the details…at the hospital. But you have to come for her. Let me just make it simple for you: she's dying. _


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

_Let me just make it simple for you: She's dying._

Dying. Penelope was dying. It seemed surreal, a bad dream that Derek would surely wake from in a few moments.

He blinked.

The text was still there.

It wasn't a dream.

She really was dying.

And he'd been completely inebriated while she was…..well only God knew what she'd gone through.

Feeling completely sick, Derek barely could make it to the bathroom before he threw up. Washing out his mouth, he realized that he needed to head over to her apartment. Not the hospital. Not yet. He couldn't go to the place where she was dying…..

But she wasn't dying…..right? Sure, he'd wrongly assumed she was indestructible before, but then she'd been shot, escaping death by only a centimeter. Yet…dying? And right after…..

_No. _She was dying…with the last words he'd said to her being "Get away from me".

_Get away from me._

Consumed with grief and guilt, Derek drove like a madman to the apartment.

Penelope's Apartment

When Derek arrived, he found several officers already there, crime scene tape around the perimeter.

It looked like the set for a bad murder movie. It didn't look like real life.

But it was.

"Morgan!" It was Emily, running towards him. Her face was distorted with worry lines and she looked disheveled and depressed.

"Emily? What's going on here?" he asked impatiently. "I just got your texts a few minutes ago.

"Last night, two guys ambushed Penelope in her apartment. They….they beat her pretty badly, out of rage. They had a different target, but when he drove her home one night, they wrongly assumed Penelope's apartment was his."

"Whoa. Hold on. What…do you mean by 'other target'?" Already, Derek's stomach was beginning to throb. He knew what she was about to say.

"You, Derek. That asshole rapist you teased as he was going to jail. He wanted to kill you, so he and another prisoner escaped and hunted you down…..or so they thought."

"So…." Derek was still confused. Why had they harmed Penelope, if he was the true target?

"Morgan, when they discovered their mistake, they were angry. And when she wouldn't tell them where you were….they took their rage out on her. She took the beating…..the _rape_….the eventual shot to her abdomen…all so they wouldn't find you.

"Get it through your head, Derek. She is dying because she was trying to protect you….and you didn't have the decency to even go to the hospital and say goodbye to her. Penelope loved you with everything in her…she was willing to die for you….and you got so stoned that you still smell like a tavern now."

"She…was….raped?" He felt like he'd been punched in the gut. Tears began to well in his eyes.

"The guy that attacked her is a rapist, dip shit. Now…..will you mind telling me why the shots of whatever the hell you had are more important than Penelope?"

"Em…when I was getting drunk….I didn't know that…." He couldn't even finish his sentence, so overcome by remorse that he really didn't know how he was still standing upright.

"You know now, Derek, you son of a bitch. You know now. So enlighten me. What happened?"

"We…didn't fight…..or anything. It's just…..Penelope….she was informed that her biological dad was dying in a prison hospice in California. We went there….because I told her it was a good idea for her to see him, since he left her and her mom when she was eight. And then…..we found out what he was in for.

"He killed my dad, Emily. He was the one that murdered not just my father, but my childhood, the innocence I once possessed. Her father took it…..and I blamed her.

"I BLAMED HER!" With that last sentence, Derek began to collapse. Emily acted quickly to steady him. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Derek, I'm sorry about what happened to your dad. I can't imagine what it felt like. But…it wasn't Penelope's fault. She's not him, Morgan, she's not him. Penelope didn't pull the trigger. That was her father's choice, and her father's alone. Blaming her is incredibly stupid and petty, Derek."

"I know that…..now."

"Yeah, you know that now," Prentiss replied with a sardonic laugh. "You know that when you realize that it is because of your teasing of that asshole rapist, who we obviously caught along with his somewhat-wiser partner and they both spilled everything, Penelope got hurt. More than hurt. She's nearly brain dead. And you were getting wasted because you, in your sick mind, felt that she was responsible for something she clearly wasn't. You were drunk, Derek, while she protected you."

"Emily…what do you think I should do? I'm a broken man." He didn't argue with anything she said, no matter how much it pained him to hear the words. Because, as sharp as they were, they were completely true.

"Honestly, Derek, I think she's more broken than you. She is probably going to die believing that you blame her. She sacrificed herself because she loved you so much, yet did so thinking that you didn't love her back." Prentiss didn't hold back. Her grief over the imminent death of one of her truest friends overshadowed any pity she had for Derek.

"I do love her. I love her so much that the thought of losing her is killing me inside. And I would've come to my senses. I know I would've." Derek was desperate now. He lifted his head to the heavens and began to pray silently for a miracle.

"It's not too late, Morgan," Emily whispered softly. "She's still alive. There's time for you to go to the hospital and tell her all of this yourself."

"I-I don't think I can. I can't see her like that, knowing it's partially my fault."

"You can, Derek. You owe her at least that. She's on life support, breathing with a ventilator, but that doesn't mean that she won't be able to hear you. I stayed with her for a while, until it became too much, and I'm holding onto the belief that she heard me."

"All right, Prentiss. You're right. About everything. I owe her. I owe her so much. I owe her the breaths in my body…if only I could give them to her, and save myself only enough to tell her how truly sorry I am. Please….take me to her now."

_Please, don't let it be too late. Please, God, don't take her from me. Don't let her leave without her knowing how sorry I am, without her knowing how much I love her._

_Don't let her die._


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Arriving at the hospital with Emily, Derek still felt like he was under a fog…a fog that would lift soon and the world would go back to normal and Penelope would be at his side. He tried to suppress his emotions as he headed to the ICU waiting room and gave his name to the nurse there, who then led him to Penelope's room.

"Brace yourself, son, she doesn't look good," the older lady warned him. Swallowing loudly, Derek cautiously entered the room. His wariness stemmed not just from nervousness about her appearance, but also from the fact that he really didn't feel welcome. After all, he was the one who had put her in there in the first place. Okay, so maybe he hadn't pulled the trigger or anything like that, but if it wasn't for him, those thugs wouldn't have been anywhere near her.

"Derek!" JJ cried as her eyes fell upon his haggard form. She leapt up from her seat beside Penelope's bed and rushed to embrace him. He could feel moisture from her eyes leaking into his shirt and knew that she was hugging him to help ease her own stress and pain.

"How is she?" Derek mumbled, though he wasn't sure he really wanted to know the answer. After all, if she was truly dying, did it matter exactly how?

"Well…..Derek….she was r-raped…..and she's got bruises everywhere. He…well…it looks like he smashed her head against the floor a few times because she has a pretty severe concussion…and….it looks like he tripped her or something because her ankle is badly sprained….several broken ribs.…her whole chest was almost smashed in….lacerations all over her body….and…well….a bullet wound to her abdomen. They barely got it out of her without her dying. The loss of blood coupled with the brain damage that occurred are what caused her to fall into a coma. And…the doctors don't think she'll last long on the life support, which she is on because of all the damage to her chest." As soon as JJ was finished, she burst into tears again and clutched onto Derek tightly.

"So there's been no change?" Emily asked from a few feet away from the pair. "I was…hoping….for a miracle." Her own eyes were brimming with emotion. JJ shook her head.

"Derek, I'm glad you're here for her, but I need to tell you something. You're next-of-kin on Penelope's emergency contact list."

"Wait. I thought Hotch was. He was the one the hospital contacted after she was shot a few years ago."

"Yeah, he was, and the hospital realized after they called him that Penelope changed it so you'd be contacted first. I think she mentioned it in passing to me after we all found out about you two."

"So…..what's the big deal? She's my next-of-kin on my emergency contact list, too."

"Derek….because you're the closest thing Pen has to family…..it's your choice to keep her on the life support…or let her go."

If Derek wasn't already a broken man….he now was completely shattered. Not even bothering to hide the flood of tears issuing freely from his eyes, he briskly strode over to Penelope's side.

"Let her go? I'm not going to let her go!" he nearly shouted. "Tell those damn doctors to go screw themselves with that kind of a question! I'm not going to kill the woman I love!" All this time, he purposely kept his eyes off of Penelope, because, deep down, he knew that if he saw how truly severe her condition was…..

"I know, Derek, I know," JJ murmured, shaking her head and putting a hand over her mouth.

"No you don't, JJ, no you don't! I know Penelope…she won't give up! She wouldn't want to be killed when she knows she still has a fighting chance to make it through this!" Derek was beyond reason. Reason has no place in the matters of Life and Death. There is no right and wrong, no instruction manual for the heavens on what to do in such situations…All that can guide is your heart.

"Derek, I wasn't the one that _suggested _it, okay? Don't blame me! It was the doctors, all right?" But Morgan ignored her, though he still hadn't really looked at Penelope at all.

"Where are the others?" he asked, trying to evade the topic altogether.

"Interviewing the sick sons of bitches that did this to Penelope," Emily answered with venom in her tone. Gone, though, was her harsh voice from when she was lecturing Derek. She now had only pity for not just herself and her own imminent loss, but for him, because she realized right then that Penelope was the focal point of Derek's world.

"If I could get my hands on those bastards…..they'd be begging for death, but it would be hours before I would finally shoot their f**king heads in," Morgan growled.

"Derek….would you like some time alone with her now?" JJ gently questioned after a few minutes of silence in which each of them was desperately praying for some miracle to occur so that Penelope would wake up and everything would be all right again.

"Um…yeah…yeah….that…yeah….thanks…" Derek answered, completely distracted by his own thoughts.

"We'll be back in a few minutes, okay?" Quietly, Emily and JJ exited the room, blowing silent kisses in Penelope's direction as a gesture of their well wishes.

Completely alone, Derek finally turned towards Penelope. As soon as his eyes fell upon her motionless figure, he wanted to be sick. Her face was smeared by bruising, a distorted rainbow of blacks, blues, and purples that had no place there. Cuts were scattered on her cheeks, left exposed to the air to help them heal. Their angry red tint seemed to be taunting him…blaming him for her predicament. And, of course, they were right. Her mouth was open to allow a tube to breathe for her. The most unnerving part about it was that a piece of machinery was the only difference between death and life, but even the most sophisticated tubing couldn't save her if her heart stopped beating.

Derek's eyes eventually travelled along Penelope's body, seeing the bandages, the IVs attached to her arms. She was so fragile, so broken…..and she shouldn't be! She should be at his house, in his arms, burden-free of the real world that desired to harm those who only saw beauty in it.

"I'm so sorry, baby girl," he whispered. "I never meant for any of this to happen…..that you would do all this to protect me…that I would be the one responsible for what's happened to you….and that the last words I said to you were 'get away from me'.

"Because, princess, I _never _want you to leave me. Please…..wake up so that I can just tell you how sorry I am for what happened between us. Come back to me so that I can tell you how much I love you and how much you mean to me. That I've come to my senses and no longer blame you for what your dad did. I don't know if you'll want to forgive me, and I don't blame you if you don't….but please, sweetheart…..wake up and tell me yourself. Please.

"Come back. Come back….if only because I love you. Come back to me."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

_So here is apology number one million for not doing review replies. It's inexcusable. So here is a huge THANK YOU to all you lovely people out there. And…IF YOU DID NOT SEE THE HAND HOLDING LAST NIGHT…well, anyway, I think that the writers need to wake up and smell the coffee. Like really. Moving on to the story now before I go completely insane…._

"_Come back to me."_

Morning dawned bright, but Derek was in no mood to celebrate the arrival of a new day. All it meant to him was that he was missing out on more and more time with Penelope, who still lay still and silent on the bed. At least she had made it through the night, something that shocked the doctors. The heart monitor punctuated his thoughts with its steady tone.

_Bleep._

_Bleep._

_Bleep._

Derek looked down and realized he was holding her hand. He must've grasped it some hours ago without knowing it. His resistance to touch her was nothing more than the fact that he felt too guilty to do so. Now, though, he wouldn't have let go of her for anything in the world. As long as he could feel her soft skin under his grip….he would know that she was still with him and there was still a chance for her to come back.

_Bleep._

_Bleep._

_Bleep._

"Good morning, baby girl," he whispered gently, stroking her hair with the utmost of care. _Good morning. _Even as he said it, he knew it sounded fake. However, if Penelope truly could hear him, as some doctors conjectured about comatose patients, he didn't want to sound depressed. Over the years, she had brought so much sunshine and happiness into his life, so why should he even try to inject sorrow into hers, especially now?

"I miss you, sweetheart. So much. I miss those bright brown eyes that sparkle with laughter, that gorgeous smile you always have on your face, your hugs that always restore my sanity back to me. I know it's only been around a day, but I miss you more than I ever would have thought possible."

_Bleep._

_Bleep._

_Bleep._

"You're the best person I've ever known, baby girl, you really are. To risk your very life for me…especially considering how badly I treated you….is something I have no idea how to even comprehend. You're my angel, my God-given solace, the only woman I've ever truly loved….and now…..I think I love you about ten times more than ever. And not just because you're in the hospital or because you saved my life…..but because you're you…and I fall in love with that person more and more all the time." Derek leaned down and gently kissed her cheek. The skin his lips touched was cool and relaxed, lacking the usual warmth and vivacity. But it was still _her, _and no coma could change that.

"Hey….." Derek whipped around, immediately calming when he realized that it was Prentiss. She scooted another chair up to Penelope's bed and sat down next to him.

"What's that?" he asked, gesturing to the cup of coffee in Emily's hand. She handed it to him.

"For you. You don't look like you've slept that much, Derek."

"I don't think I could sleep away the limited time I have with her," he mumbled, not letting go of Penelope's hand.

"I know what you mean…..I haven't really been able to think of anything else. Every time I close my eyes, I remember Hotch coming up to me and telling me that Pen was hurt badly in her home. Her _own home, _Derek. No one has the right to feel unsafe in their own home, especially not Penelope."

"Are you here to blame me again? Because I already have accepted full responsibility for all of this," Morgan interjected, wanting her to just tell him why she was there and not walk on eggshells around him.

"No. I'm here to apologize, actually. It wasn't fair of me to be so harsh on you. Yes, some of this is your fault. But, at the same time, blame matters little, because the reality remains the same, no matter who is at fault. If she doesn't wake up…..well….I…..don't want to have to go through it without our friendship."

"Emily, I know that your experiences have jaded you about this kind of thing, but I don't want to think about it like that. I will NOT give up on Penelope, even if it means I sit at this very spot for the next ten years…even if I wait for her for the rest of my life. Because I know that she won't leave this world without a fight."

_Bleep._

_Bleep._

_Bleep._

"Derek, believe me, there is nothing that I want more than for her to just sit up and scold us for worrying about her. Know that, okay? I also need to be realistic, at least for my own sanity. Hope can be damaging if you cling onto it too tightly."

"But if hope is all I have, then that is what I will hold onto, Emily. I'm not a huge believer in miracles…but what Penelope has given me all these years is the closest thing to a miracle in my eyes. So…..I have hope that some of the goodness she has given to the world will come back for her." Derek felt tears stinging his eyes and he gently rested his head beside Penelope's.

"You're right, Derek. I think that's kind of your thing to set me straight." Emily was trying to smile, but the pain she felt masked any happiness she had.

"Don't you forget it," Morgan half-teased, half choked out. The grief they shared was so far trumping any banter they usually exchanged.

"I wish I could turn the clock back a few days for her, Derek."

"Me, too."

Silence. For a few moments, both were lost in thought. In prayer. In desperate wishing for a miracle that could take away what they both, deep down, knew to be the inevitable.

_Bleep._

_Bleep._

_Bleep._

_…_


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

_Okay, I think FanFiction is kind of screwing with me right now, because it's not notifying me of anything, not even that my update went through, or that people reviewed it! I really hope everyone was able to access it…let me know if you didn't. Also, the lovely site messed up the last line. It was supposed to be a long, drawn-out bleep of the heart monitor so that you all would know that Penelope flat-lined. So that effect was totally ruined. Oh, well. Here's the next update, for which I am deciding to incorporate song lyric snippets._

_I miss you, miss you so bad_

In a panic, Derek pushed the nurse's call button several times. Tears poured down his face as he heard the monotone of the heart monitor. His world had stopped spinning the moment her heart stopped beating and it was all he could do not to break down completely.

_I didn't get around to kiss you_

_Goodbye on the hand_

So many regrets, so many things left unsaid. This couldn't be the end. Penelope just couldn't leave this life without him getting to apologize and tell her just how much he loved her. It was so unfair to her to be taken away without her knowing what she meant to him.

_I had my wakeup_

"God, don't take her from me! Don't let her die as punishment for what I did! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Derek knew that he was rambling but he didn't care. He only cared that Penelope was unresponsive on the bed…..and no one was coming to help. No one.

"Why isn't anyone coming?" he bellowed to Emily, who was standing still and silent next to him, tears pooling in her eyes.

"I don't know, Derek, I don't know! Hit that damn button again!" He did as she said, but no doctors or nurses rushed to his aid.

_Won't you wake up?_

"We don't have time for this!" Derek cried, and suddenly, he knew what he had to do. Just as she had saved his life, he would save hers. Leaping onto the bed, he pushed aside the wires that snaked around her body. He placed his hands on her chest and began to compress it, trying desperately to press life back into her body.

_And I can't take it_

_It wasn't fake_

_It happened, you passed by_

"Come on, baby, come on! Come back to me!" The compressions became more fervent as time ticked by. He could feel her slipping farther and farther from him as each second passed.

"Derek, the doctor's here!" Emily exclaimed, but Derek ignored her. He ignored everything around him, his tears, his own beating heart. Up and down his hands pumped on Penelope's chest, trying desperately to generate a rhythm.

_Now you're gone, now you're gone_

_There you go, there you go_

"I don't think she's coming back, son," the older doctor said as he lightly placed a hand on Derek's tense shoulder, but Derek shrugged him off.

"Don't tell me what you think! She's coming back!" He shook Penelope in an effort to bring her back, but she remained as floppy and lifeless as a rag doll. "Penelope, baby girl, come on, breathe!"

_Somewhere I can't bring you back…_

_Somewhere you're not coming back_

_The day you slipped away_

"Please, baby! Wake up! I love you so much, you hear me? Come back!" He suddenly felt two strong hands grabbing him at both of his shoulders.

"Get off her bed, son. She's…she's gone. She lasted longer than expected, but the trauma to her chest was too much for anyone to handle."

Shakily, Derek peeled himself off the bed, aided by a sobbing Emily. She held onto his hand, but after a few seconds, embraced him tightly.

"She's not dead, Emily, she's not dead, she can't be dead…" Derek murmured into her shirt.

_The day you slipped away_

_Was the day that I found it won't be the same…_

_I miss you_

And then he broke down completely in her arms. Tears wracked his body, coming deep from within the recesses of his heart and soul. His everything….his whole world…..gone….it couldn't be. He had truly believed that she was going to make it, that she was going to wake up and he would have that second chance, just like she had had with her dad. And, just as in that instance, it failed horribly.

It was bitter irony, a bitter poison that was impossible for him to swallow. His life, he knew, would never be the same. Never again would sunshine enter his soul….because darkness had vanquished it. Never again would he be able to be brought out of his nightmares, his bad days, because the only person that could do that had left him. Never again would he be able to see the goodness and beauty in this world because what was most beautiful to him lay lifeless on the bed.

Suddenly, Derek rushed back to Penelope's bed. He had to try…..he had to try one more time. Penelope had never given up, even when all seemed loss, so why should he? He could hear the doctor call him back, but he was too focused on bringing the only woman he'd ever truly loved back to him. Derek once again placed his hands on her chest.

"Come on, baby girl, come on! You can do it! Come back to me! Oh, Penelope, I love you so much…..just come back!" With those words, he laid his head on her chest.

And then he jumped up. Because, as soon as his head settled on her heart….he felt it begin to beat. Gasping in utter joy and disbelief, he placed his hand over the spot….and…yes! There was no mistaking the weak, yet definitely present, heartbeat.

"She's back!" Derek cried, tears of gratitude and love forming in his eyes. The doctor and a still-crying Emily rushed over to him and the doctor quickly checked her pulse. After a moment, he immediately rushed for the necessary medical supplies to stabilize her.

"Derek, I think she's trying to wake up!" Emily exclaimed, still in shock over what had transpired. Derek looked down, and, sure enough, Penelope's eyes were moving under their lids.

"Come on, baby girl, wake up. You can do it," he coaxed, running a hand through her hair. After several tense moments, her eyes slowly fluttered open. They darted around, confused.

"Hey there, baby girl," was all Derek could say, as emotion was quickly clotting in his throat. The breathing tube, he knew, would keep her from answering him, but he was surprised when she whispered….

"Hey."

_Song was "Slipped Away" by Avril Lavigne, though I kind of played with the lyric arrangement._


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Still in a state of total disbelief, Derek could only watch with eyes wide open as doctors worked on Penelope. He heard them as they were removing her ventilator, and was relieved, because that meant she could breathe on her own.

"I think we've all witnessed a true miracle," one of the physicians commented to him as they finished with her. "CPR only works in 7% of cases that a civilian performs it. It's astounding, really. She doesn't even have brain damage from the lack of oxygen. Right now, someone is checking her memory, but so far, there don't appear to be any problems there. Her recovery may be slow, due to the nature of the injuries she sustained, and there will certainly be psychological trauma that she'll have to work through, but since she's made it this far, I don't have too many doubts about her healing pretty much completely from it all." Derek nodded, too relieved to voice his gratitude.

Eventually, the doctors cleared out, leaving only a nurse, who was busy checking the scattered IVs Penelope still had stuck in her arm, apparently providing her with the nutrients she'd lacked while she was unconscious and pain medication. Gathering his nerve, Derek walked over to the bed. When Penelope saw his approaching form, her lips broke into a smile.

"You're okay!" she cried in a raspy voice.

"You're awake, so why wouldn't I be okay?" Derek replied, confused by her words. He hoped that she didn't have any memory problems the doctors hadn't detected.

"No, it's just….he said…after he was through with me…he was gonna go find you and…..well…you know…"

"It's because of you and what you did for me that he didn't," he replied, cautiously taking her hand in his. "How are you feeling, baby?"

"A little tired and achy, maybe, but I know it would be much worse if you weren't here with me."

"Yeah, but if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be in this mess in the first place." He hung his head, the shame of everything that had happened becoming a massive burden on his shoulders.

"Derek…..this isn't your fault….you know that, right? I mean….you weren't the one that attacked me." She exhaled slowly, not wanting to further hurt her already throbbing chest.

"But I antagonized the one enough so that he escaped jail to get to me, only he got to you instead. And I don't understand why you didn't save yourself and send them after me…..especially after what I did to you."

"Derek….you didn't do anything to me," Penelope responded, squeezing his hand, absorbing the heat it was giving off.

"Don't you remember our trip to California….to see your dad?" he questioned carefully, worry clumping once more in his mind.

"Of course I do. But what happened there wasn't your fault, obviously. It's my father that's the bastard, okay? Not you. So don't feel guilty about anything."

"Baby girl, that's really sweet of you to say, but the way I treated you after we both found out what your dad did is inexcusable. I let my feelings get in the way of rational thinking and, as a result, I was out getting stoned…while…they…..were…hurting you." He couldn't hold back tears anymore. "I am so sorry, sweetheart. I never meant for any of this to happen to you."

"But….even if you were at home instead of a bar…well…there's still no way that you could know about what was happening to me. Derek, please, know that I don't blame you for any of this. If I could go back in time, I wouldn't change a thing. You do what you can to protect those you love." Penelope felt her own eyes begin to water. She tried to lift her free hand to wipe the tears away, but she was too weak to do so, due to the intense drugs that were entering her veins.

"Penelope…listen to me. If I hadn't been so angry and confused…I wouldn't have been at the bar…..or at home. I would have been with you…..and I would have been able to protect you. And you know why I would have been with you? It's because I'm so in love with you that the thought of spending even a day without hearing your voice or seeing your beautiful smile breaks my heart. You are the best thing that has happened to me…and I don't even deserve you, especially after all I've done."

"And I don't deserve to love or to be loved by the most wonderful man in the world…so I guess we're even," Penelope replied faintly, her head beginning to spin from the pain medication finally beginning to activate. "Derek, no matter what you say to me, I won't blame you, and I won't stop loving you."

"What did I ever do to be worthy of you?" he whispered softly, leaning down and kissing her forehead tenderly.

"Be you," she murmured back, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb. "That's all anyone can be, right? It's just that the 'you' that's you is the one I love the most."

"Right back at you, baby girl….are you all right?" He noticed her eyelids beginning to shut and her skin becoming a bit paler.

"Yeah…..I'm fine," she replied slowly, her voice sounding thick and slurred.

"I think you should try and get some rest, sweetheart. You've been through a lot." He began to stroke her hair in order to calm her further.

"Not that much," she chuckled lightly.

"Are you kidding me, baby? You flatlined under an hour ago!" Derek exclaimed. "Damn your hardheadedness, Pen." But he was smiling.

"Speaking of the whole flatlining thing…I don't know how much you can really blame yourself...because the doctor told me you saved my life by giving me CPR. So….really….we are even."

"I guess you got me on that one, baby girl. Seriously, though, I just can't lose you, and I wasn't going to give up just because the stupid doctors said there wasn't hope. You taught me yourself that hope can be found even in the darkest times."

"So…are we okay now? Are we going to stop the blame game and move on with our life together?" Penelope asked as she began to drift to sleep.

"As long as that life together means me and you…..I'll do anything," Derek replied. She nodded and gave him the tiniest smile before she slipped into an oblivion. He gently kissed her temple and sat back in his chair, all without letting go of her hand.

Because he was never going to let go again. Never.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

_Non-CM related: If you haven't seen the "Stop Kony" video that's gone viral off of YouTube, I highly recommend you do. It's an eye-opener. _

_Now on to the story!_

"So…..they're going away for a long time?" Penelope asked, as soon as Hotch and the rest of the team filed into the room and told her about how they'd caught her assailants.

"I'm a prosecutor, Garcia. Trust me, I will not let them have any chance of getting out of jail for a very long time," Hotch replied, his face softening. She nodded slowly, trying to absorb all the information. Her emotions were so muddled up, between the physical pain, the psychological torture left behind …..it was enough to make her want to explode.

"You all right?" JJ inquired, lightly placing her hand on Penelope's wrist in a sisterly gesture.

"Yeah….it's just a…..a lot to take in," she answered. "Everything's a little hazy because of the stuff those doctors are giving me." She rolled her eyes to further highlight her annoyance at the hospital staff.

"Yeah, but that 'stuff' is helping you rest, which will make you get better," Derek admonished. "You're too stubborn to rest on your own." Penelope smiled when she saw the teasing glint in his eyes.

"When did they say you could get out of here?" Reid asked, who had been uncharacteristically silent throughout the conversation about the Unsubs. Perhaps the fact that one of his good friends, someone he thought of as a sister, was harmed…was enough for him to not interrupt the discussion with a pointless statistic.

"They don't know for sure. She's pretty banged up," Derek answered. "It's going to take a lot of physical therapy for her to get back on her feet."

"She's strong, though. She'll get through it," Rossi commented. "If anyone can, it's Garcia."

"I'm still here, guys," Penelope grumbled somewhat loudly, annoyed that they were talking as though she'd somehow left the room. The rest of the team went silent, and it remained that way for a few awkward moments.

"Are you…sure you're okay?" Prentiss finally asked tentatively.

"You don't have to walk on eggshells around me, okay? Don't pretend I'm not there or that I can't hear you! I may be lying in a bed hooked up to a bunch of different medications, but that doesn't mean I don't know what you're talking about! Just treat me like you always have!" Penelope cried, almost losing it completely. Her emotions were simply all over the place.

"Oh, baby," Derek whispered, taking a hold of her hand. "We never intended to do that at all. We're just…..really worried about you."

"Derek, I don't _want _you to be worried about me, all right? I'm absolutely fine. Look, I'm breathing, I'm talking, I can move most of my body. It could be a lot worse. Believe me, I'm not hurt enough to deserve your time of day."

"Of course you're deserving of our time, no matter if you're hurt or not. What makes you think that?"

Hotch realized quickly that Penelope and Derek needed to be alone, and so he and the rest of the team quietly exited the room. He knew all too well that Penelope was suffering from the effects of sexual abuse.

"It's complicated….everything is complicated now," she replied after the team was gone.

"You've been through a massive trauma, sweetheart. It's understandable. What you're going through right now is totally understandable. Now…I'm going to ask you what you're feeling right now, and I want you to answer me as honestly as possible. The only way you're going to be able to cope with everything is to talk it out."

"Derek….I don't think I can," Penelope whispered. "You won't understand. No one can understand what it's like to be….robbed…like that."

"Then help me understand," he replied, gently stroking her cheek.

"I just….feel so violated. So worthless, like garbage. When I woke up, I seriously wasn't thinking about that part at all…..but now that it's been a little while…" She trailed off.

"Baby, listen to me. You're not worthless. You're not garbage. Those men treated you like that, and, believe me, they will suffer for it, but just because they did that to you does not mean you have any less worth to anyone else, especially me."

"I guess I knew that…but still…..Oh, I'm being petty, Derek." She placed her free arm over her eyes, as though shielding herself from the world.

"No, you're not being petty at all. You're grieving the loss of innocence, and that's a big thing to deal with. But I'm going to help you through it, you hear me? No matter how long it takes, I'm not going to let you go."

"Derek, that all sounds nice and great, but you aren't going to want to be with me if I keep lashing out and acting stupid."

"That's where you're wrong, baby girl. When I say I'm not going to let you go, I mean that. For every circumstance. I'm not going to give up on you. This is just a really rough patch, but we'll get through it. Together. You just gotta believe that."

"I do," Penelope nodded, though her answer seemed to come a little quickly.

"Well, I'm not sure that you totally believe me, but I'm going to make it my mission to nearly force you to."

"Yeah, and how's that?" she asked.

"Well, as soon as you get out of here…I will take such good care of you that you won't have any other choice," he responded.

"You don't have to do that, Derek. I'll just get in the way of your life."

"But it's what I want to do more than anything else. Every moment I spend with you is the happiest I've ever had."

"All right, then. Fine. Be my noir hero. I have one condition, however," Penelope stated, though her eyes were starting to regain their usual sparkle.

"And what would that be?"

"Well, it's just that I've really missed those lips, hot stuff. Now, unless you're afraid to kiss me….." But her words were swallowed up. Derek bent over and wrapped her lips in his in a searing kiss. Although the hospital bed limited any exploration the pair were tempted to do, it did not diminish the passion they felt. Penelope was overjoyed by Derek's unwavering love, and he was so grateful that she was beginning to deal with everything that happened instead of putting on a face.

Healing would come, this they knew.

_So yes, this is a filler chapter, but, seriously, if you had ANY idea what the original plotline called for…well, let's put it this way: all my readers would think I jumped the shark. You're welcome. Next up: TLC. But I'm not going to say there won't be any other dramatic things happening. _


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

"Derek, really, I think it is a bit unnecessary for you to carry me into your house. I mean, it's only a few feet away." Derek ignored Penelope's complaints, and, with her still safely nestled in his arms, opened the door and made a beeline for the bedroom. He gently laid her down on the bed, almost immediately missing the feeling of her body against his.

"Do you need anything?" he asked, a concerned frown forming on his face. "A drink, perhaps? I'm sorry, but I can't give you a pain pill for another two hours." He seemed to be in a frenzy, trying to think of anything that would make her more comfortable.

"Derek, I don't need anything. Calm down," Penelope replied, gently placing her hand on his arm. "You being here is enough."

"Not really, baby girl. You should still be in the hospital. I mean, even though you're getting better, you still look pretty bad."

"Wow….am I supposed to take that as a compliment?" she teased, flicking him a smile. "Really though…I'm fine. Another few days in the hospital and I would've gone crazy."

"I can't help but worry, though, sweetheart. Are you positive I can't get anything for you?"

"Yeah. Derek, what is this about? You seem convinced that I'm going to break at any second. I already did that, back at the hospital. I'm not going to die if I don't have every available treatment or whatever. Now, spill."

"Baby…..I almost lost you. Now that you're back, I don't want to risk losing you again. I don't want that pain, that agony, of saying goodbye to my everything." He felt a tear running down his face and ignored it. Penelope caught the solitary droplet of emotion with her finger, removing it.

"Don't worry. I'm really going to be okay. As long as I know you're going to be there for me, what can I fear?" Penelope finally voiced what she was truly feeling. "You make me feel safe and protected like no one else can make me feel. When you're here, I have no care in the world. I trust you with all of my heart, with all of my soul. Don't try to make me disbelieve myself by worrying yourself to the grave."

"I'll try," Derek whispered.

"Good," Penelope responded. There was a pensive silence for a few moments. And then Penelope flashed him a mischievous grin.

"Let's do something fun. I'm sick of lying in a stupid bed."

"Whoa, whoa, baby girl, what kind of fun thing were you thinking of doing?" Derek questioned, putting his hand up.

"Something that will get you to smile, Derek. And not some fake smile. You've been as stoic as Hotch lately."

"It's to be expected, though," Morgan retorted. "I mean, I've been through hell."

"Oh, and I've been through paradise?" Penelope fired back. "Derek, come on. I might still have a few bandages, but that doesn't mean I've lost my sense of fun." He shook his head, but she could tell he was starting to become a bit amused.

Suddenly, Penelope grabbed the pillow near her and threw it at him. Slightly taken aback, Derek returned fire, and then grabbed his own ammo, in the form of another pillow. For the next few minutes, all the worries and cares were suspended as a light-hearted fight took place.

"You're crazy, woman," Derek gasped as the last remnants of laughter dissipated into the air.

"Yeah, but admit it, Derek Morgan: would you have it any other way?" Penelope replied, her cheeks still flushed.

"Absolutely not." He leaned in, his lips zooming in on hers. Suddenly, she yanked away from him.

"Please, don't!" she cried out. Derek stepped back, and was instantly alarmed when he looked into her eyes. No longer did he see the twinkling sparkle. Fear and terror had replaced the laughter. Her pupils seemed out of focus, as if she was hallucinating.

"Baby girl, I'm so sorry! Are you all right?" he exclaimed, not knowing exactly what to say.

"Please, don't hurt me! Don't! Please!" she screamed, her arms stretching out in front of her as if she was protecting herself from the blows of her oppressor.

"Baby, wake up!" Derek urged, shaking her shoulders as gently as he could. Penelope blinked rapidly, as though she was emerging from a trance. She began to cry quietly, but when Derek went to wrap her up in his arms, she shoved him away.

"Don't touch me!" she exclaimed. "Don't touch me!" And then Derek realized that she was reliving what had happened to her. His heart broke in two as he watched her thrash wildly on the bed, as he was powerless to help her. He suspected an adverse side effect of the medication she was on was to blame for her hallucination, but he couldn't be sure that it wasn't PTSD. His attempt to kiss her had definitely triggered whatever it was. He felt sick at the realization that her attacker had perhaps done the same thing. _Why did I try for a kiss? I should've known that she wasn't ready, not by a long shot! I'm such an ass! I love her too much to do something like that! Damn! _He continued to beat himself up about the whole situation for a few minutes, but then realized that there was nothing he could do about it until morning.

After several minutes, Penelope seemed to calm down. Derek watched as her eyes fluttered shut and knew that she had cried herself to sleep. He knew that, if she was going to have this reaction while awake, that her nightmares would be magnified tenfold. Quietly, he slipped into bed next to her, trying desperately not to wake her up. To his great surprise, Penelope unconsciously snuggled up next to him. He adjusted his position on the bed so that her head could rest on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her waist.

A few minutes later, however, she began to whimper, and Derek realized that she was beginning to have a nightmare. He gently pressed a kiss on her temple, and, when she seemed to settle a bit, he began to stroke her hair tenderly.

"It's all right, baby girl. It's all right," he cooed softly, trying to assuage her fear and pain. "I'm right here. He can't hurt you anymore." For the rest of the night, Derek cradled her close to him, guarding her from her nightmares.

Even in the midst of turmoil, though, he felt completely at peace with her in his arms. It felt right.

It felt like a new beginning.

_Sorry for the super-late update…..not particularly happy with it…but what can I say? I was thousands of miles away from the computer for a week. Feel free to drop a review! _


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Morning broke. Derek blinked rapidly as the sun streaming in through the window slapped him awake. He breathed in, enjoying the scent of Penelope's hair as it filtered through his nose. She was still wrapped snugly in his arms, fast asleep.

"Good morning, princess," he whispered in her ear. She stirred slowly, mumbling incoherently as her eyelids fluttered open.

"I'd show you a good morning, hot stuff, but I'm afraid the doctor would be against it." Derek laughed, relief flooding through his body. Even after all she'd gone through last night, she was still herself, at least somewhat.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, running his fingers through her delicate blonde hair.

"Stupid," she murmured. "Derek, I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. One minute, me and you are messing around, but the next minute, everything got weird. I mean, I was freaking out about…you know….and my whole world just got all fuzzy and dark. Why am I acting like this?" Penelope could feel bitter tears sliding down her face, but she didn't bother to wipe them away. "I feel like…a freak."

"Baby…..I want you to listen to me. You are not a freak. You've gone through a massive trauma. It takes a long time to get through it. Besides, you were on a lot of medication. It probably made you a little loopy."

"Yeah….but I just feel so bad for how I acted yesterday. I mean, I remember thrashing around on the bed and pushing you away. I'm such an idiot! I know that you didn't attack me….so why did I do all that?"

"Like I said….you've been through a great ordeal. It could be the onset of PTSD, which is why I'm not going to let you out of my sight until I'm convinced you're better."

"After that? Will you want me out of your sights then?"

"Of course not, baby girl. I love you too much to live without you. I was thinking…..we could start over. Take it slow. You need to be completely healed before we try and get back to what we were. It's not that I don't love you all over me, because I do…..it's just that I don't want you to get hurt."

"Thank you," Penelope whispered and kissed him on the cheek. "But…how are you holding up?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well…your dad," she muttered, bowing her head. She still felt incredible shame about the revelation her own father had shared.

"Baby, I don't blame you for any of that anymore. As for your dad…..well...yeah…..but I want to explain something to you. My dad dying was something that helped me decide to join the FBI. My experiences with Carl Buford stemmed from me not having a father figure. And….if I didn't join the FBI…I wouldn't have met you. I can't imagine never knowing you. Everything happens for a reason, baby girl. I never thought I could say that about what happened to my dad, but it's true. Through the pain of losing him, I found solace in an amazing person. And that person is you."

"I love you," Penelope murmured, squeezing his hand. "I don't think I know another man who would say that to someone in my position."

"Well, maybe that's because there aren't any men who love their woman like I love mine," Derek replied.

"I don't care what happens to my father anymore. The minute he walked out of the room when I was eight was when he walked out of my life. You're more man than he ever was. And you're my family. Not him. I can't even say I'll shed a tear when the hospice lets me know he died." Derek simply nodded as she finished. He couldn't really blame her. He was incredibly touched that she called him family. She wasn't going to give up on their relationship just because of what she'd been through.

And neither was he.

Four Weeks Later

"You ready?" Derek called into the bathroom.

"Gimme a second, handsome!" Penelope responded. "It's easy for guys to get ready. All you need is a suit and tie, if that. But for girls, we have dresses, shoes, makeup, jewelry…"

"I'm sure you look beautiful, baby. I mean, you're gorgeous even if you're wearing sweats and a baggy tee shirt."

"Stop it, you flatterer," Penelope blushed. After a few moments, she emerged from the bathroom. "Do I look okay?"

"How about amazingly beautiful?" Derek breathed as his eyes ran up and down her body, taking in the dazzling purple dress, flashy heels, and eclectic jewelry. She hadn't lost her sense of style, that was for sure.

"So….you ready for our 'first date'?" Penelope questioned after a few seconds of silence.

"Oh, I'm more than ready," Derek teased back, not missing her word choice. Inside though, he was glad they'd decided to wait this long before actually going out again. The four weeks had given Penelope enough time to heal from the devastation caused by her attacker. Physically, at least, she'd been given a clean bill of health. She still suffered from the occasional nightmare, but he was always right there to chase the bad thoughts away from her sleep.

"Where are we going, then?" Penelope prodded as they made their way out the door.

"Well, I thought we could go to that nice Italian place you're so fond of. After that, if you're up for a bit of a walk, we could go to the park. Don't worry, I put some more appropriate clothes in the car for that part."

"That sounds lovely," she sighed, wrapping her hand in his. "What did I do to deserve the perfect man?"

"Maybe….because you're the perfect woman," Derek replied with a gentle smile. They drove to the restaurant in contented silence, both eagerly anticipating the night ahead.

After dinner, the two went on the promised walk in the park. It was a cool, clear night. The stars seemed to glow especially bright for them. A gentle breeze rippled through the grass.

"This is perfect," Penelope whispered. "Thank you for everything." She stopped walking and leaned forward.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Derek asked under his breath. "There's no rush. I don't want you to feel like you have to do something when you're not up for it."

"I've never been surer about anything." Their lips finally met….and the sparks created by the kiss could've set the whole park on fire. Derek pulled Penelope as close as he could to his body and allowed his hands to roam over her hair and her back. Penelope, for her part, allowed her fingers to trace along his abs, relishing in the fact that her touch was causing Derek to moan.

_Crack._

"Who's there?" Penelope whimpered, instantly breaking the kiss as the sudden noise startled her.

"Probably just an animal that stepped on a twig," Derek reassured her, but she could see that he was reaching for the gun in his pant leg. "Anyone there?"

A masked figure emerged from his hiding place behind a thicket of bushes along the park's edge. The figure raised his gun and pointed it at Penelope's head.

"DUCK!"

A scream.

A gunshot.

Eerie silence.

And then sobbing.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One

The limp body fell to the ground as though a marionette cut from his strings. Blood bubbled from a gaping hole in the flesh. For a second, no one moved. And then a scream pierced the silence.

"Shhhhh," another voice whispered. But the crying continued, high-pitched and devastating to hear. Blood continued to pour freely from the open wound. It seemed like a poorly-written B-movie…..but it was real.

"Oh my gosh!" someone yelled as they ran up to the scene. "Sir…..sir…..are you okay?" the stranger asked as she bent down to the fallen figure. "I'm calling for help!" She reached for her phone.

"P-pl-pl…" The one who was crying was not even able to speak a coherent word. Shock had set in so deeply that it seemed impossible to process what had just occurred without completely breaking down.

"Hold on!" the stranger commanded. "The paramedics are on their way."

"Y-y-you ha-have to he-help him," the sobbing one urged. "Pl-please."

"I am! Didn't you hear me? I called the paramedics! They'll help your friend." She shrugged off the words, blaming them on the clearly-evident shock setting in. A few minutes later, the EMTs arrived on scene.

"What do we have here?" the first one asked as he knelt down beside the bloody figure.

"Single GSW to the abdomen. He's unconscious," the second paramedic replied as he began to work on him.

"Ma'am, can you tell me what happened here?" a third EMT questioned the woman holding the cell phone.

"I don't know for sure. I was walking along, minding my own business….and then I heard a gunshot! I saw someone run off….and then I ran over to see what happened. And this woman was with him. She's pretty shaken up." The woman gestured to Penelope, who stiffened when the paramedic approached her.

"Are you all right?" he asked, his eyes running up and down her body. There were a few drops of blood on her clothes and her face was shining with tears. Penelope didn't answer him. She didn't even seem to see him.

"Rick, I think we better take her in. She's gone into shock." The ambulance driver, who had just hopped out of the vehicle, nodded.

"Can you walk?" Rick asked Penelope. Once again, she didn't reply. Sighing sadly, the paramedic gently guided her to the waiting ambulance, where they were already loading the gunshot victim.

"This your boyfriend or something?" an EMT asked as they began to drive quickly to the hospital. Penelope didn't react.

At the hospital, the doctor, after checking her over, ordered Penelope to stay overnight. She needed time to process what had happened…..and she hadn't spoken yet.

"Doctor!" a nurse called as the doctor left Penelope's room.

"Yes?"

"I need to tell you something. The guy that she came with…the one with the GSW….he didn't make it. We have reason to believe that he is a significant other to her. Do you think we should tell her?"

"It could bring her out of her shock…..but more likely, it will worsen her condition. I'd advise against telling her."

"But, doctor, his things haven't been processed yet. We don't know his name. We need to get that from her."

"All right." Sighing, the doctor entered Penelope's room again. She was still lying motionless on the bed, her eyes aimed at the ceiling, but he could tell that she wasn't truly looking at it.

"I need to tell you something, Ms. Garcia. The patient you arrived with…..he didn't make it." He waited for a response. After a few minutes, Penelope slowly sat up.

"He-he….died?" she asked, as though she didn't quite believe what she was hearing.

"I'm terribly sorry."

"Did…did y-you….s-save…him?"

"Ms. Garcia…..he's gone. We tried to save his life, but he lost too much blood."

"Him…too?" The doctor was puzzled. _Too?_

"We only brought in your boyfriend…and you. There was no other person with you at the scene."

"H-he….is….not….m-my..b-boyfriend."

"Oh, my apologies. That brings me to my question for you: can you tell me the name of the person you were with?"

"I…I don't know…..his face was covered." Penelope began to shake then, sobbing uncontrollably. "Why…didn't you find him?"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Garcia. You seem to be confused. We did find the person next to you. But…why was his face covered? Do you know?"

"Be-because…he…was..shoo-shooting at me." The doctor gasped. "But…De-derek jum-jumped in front of me. He got…..shot…in the leg….and then….he…shot the guy….in the stomach. He…yelled at me to duck…I think…..he saw someone else….in the woods…by the park. He ran that way…..and I didn't…see him again." She began to completely break down as she finished. Panic flooded her entire body. If the paramedics hadn't found Derek…where was he? Was he in the woods somewhere? Did the guy he was chasing hurt him?

Was he even alive?

No. NO. Derek couldn't be dead…..he just couldn't be. Not after all they'd been through. Not after he'd taken a bullet to save her life. _He'd saved her. _Not too long after she'd saved him. And…..he had saved her from the same people that had attacked her. She didn't know their names, that was true, but she recognized the chill that had climbed up her back when she registered a presence at the park. _But how had they escaped? And why had he pointed the gun at her…..and not Derek…their true target?_

Was it fate that had twisted them into such a predicament? Penelope didn't know. All she truly knew was, that, after so much, she and Derek were separated yet again.

"Please…tell someone…that Derek is still out there," she begged the doctor. "I can't…live without him.

"I'm calling the police as soon as I get in cell phone range," the doctor assured her. "They'll find him."

"N-no. Call…..Aaron Hotchner…..of the FBI's….Behavioral Analysis Unit. He's Derek's and mine's boss. Call….him….please," she panted, her stress levels rising quickly in her body, causing the shortness of breath. She quickly relayed Hotch's phone number to the doctor.

"Be okay, Derek, please…be okay. I love you so much…You saved my life. Please…don't leave me. I can't make it without you."

A single tear hit the blanket…and then soon evaporated…..it was as though it had never been there at all.

_Well, I was surprised by that twist just as much as you were! Didn't know for sure myself what had happened till I started writing! Let me know whatchoo think!_


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty Two

_Confession: I kind of had to take a FF sabbatical. Sometimes…I find myself unable to write. The ideas don't flow through my brain, the words don't appear on the page. The past days have been one of those times. So I apologize for the delay, especially considering I received much support in the form of alerts and reviews! Now…on to the story._

_()_

He was fading fast, that much he knew. The blood loss had been rapid, destructive…..his whole leg was completely plastered in bitter scarlet paint. If he so much as twisted his ankle, lightning bolts of pain would sear through his entire lower body.

The thought of allowing the bullet to remain in his body was agonizing. Removing the little leaden ball was even more dangerous, though. But the psychology of having the foreign object within him was almost to bear.

Would anyone come for them? Did anyone know, did anyone care that he and his beloved were lying on the ground, bleeding out? Penelope had been shot…there was little doubt in Derek's mind that, even though he'd shot the bastard that had aimed the gun at her, she had still been hit.

But then he'd seen another pair of eyes peeking through the bushes. And he'd left her! He'd left the only woman he'd ever loved so wholeheartedly! With his wounded leg dragging behind him, he'd chased down the second figure and drove a bullet through his skull...and then, completely unsure of his whereabouts….collapsed in agony.

He hadn't gone back for her! This fact hurt Derek more than his leg did. Again. He had failed her again. She…she could be…..she could be..**gone. **She could have left this earth and he would've been too busy chasing down some idiot. Obviously, the second unsub had to be taken out…..but as he hadn't posed as a threat quite yet…the chase…hadn't been completely necessary.

This realization broke Derek completely.

_Penelope lying….on the grass…Bleeding out. Derek rushed to her….._

_Blood trickled from her mouth._

"_Baby girl!"_

_Her once glimmering eyes were dull._

"_Don't do this to me!"_

_He put a hand to her still chest._

"_Come on…breathe!"_

_Wind rustled the leaves on the trees._

"_I'm sorry, baby girl, I'm so sorry!"_

_Her hand was limp and cold in his._

"_Why? After all she's been through? Why?" _

_But God didn't answer his plea._

"_Why?"_

"_WHY?"_

"…_why….."_

_Black._

"Morgan? Morgan? Derek Morgan?" They'd been at it for almost an hour…..searching the woods beyond the park and calling his name.

No response.

"I don't have a good feeling about this one," Rossi mumbled somberly, crossing himself and lifting his eyes towards the heavens.

"But we can't afford to think that way, Rossi. Morgan's smart and determined. He wouldn't have walked into any sort of trap," Prentiss replied, lightly placing her hand on his shoulders.

"Emily…you do realize…that if he was shot…..his smarts won't stop him from bleeding out." But Prentiss shook her head and blinked rapidly.

"He isn't gone. He…he just can't be gone. Not after all he's been through….well, him and Penelope."

"I know what you mean….and I don't just mean that he could be physically dead."

"Then what do you mean?"

"Emily…I think you know what I mean. It is going to be hard for him to sort through it all." There was a thoughtful silence for a moment and then the pair split up to continue the search.

_Penelope….._

_Bleeding._

_Broken._

_All his fault….all his fault again._

_NO._

_Not again._

_Not after what she's been through._

_No._

_Must..get..back..to..her._

_But she's dead._

_Dead._

_No._

_His fault._

_Again._

_Get back._

_Bleeding._

_Dead._

_Fault._

_Morgan._

_Morgan._

_Morgan!_

"Morgan! Guys….I got him! I got him!" JJ called, shining a light over his fallen frame. Kneeling down next to him, her hand groped for a pulse.

"Is he alive?" Hotch panted as he arrived next to the pair. "Did you get a pulse?"

"Yeah…yeah…..I felt a weak one in his neck. Did you already call a medic?"

"They're standing by….I'll go get them! Stay right there, JJ!" The blonde agent nodded and sat back down.

"Derek….please wake up," she begged softly. "You're going to be okay….and so is Penelope…she wasn't hurt…..but now you need to wake up." After a few tense seconds, his eyes slowly opened. They darted around, confused.

"Morgan, it's me, JJ. Look at me, okay?" His eyes finally focused on her face, taking in the worry lines that crossed her cheeks.

"Penelope! Penelope! Is she okay?" he gasped, grabbing her arm with a tight grip. "I didn't mean to leave her…I didn't mean to….I swear…Is she okay? I can't lose her….I just can't…..please….Is she okay?"

"Derek…Derek…..you need to calm down, all right? Penelope is going to be fine. She wasn't shot…but the thought of losing you threw her into some sort of shock. She's going to be all right. We're going to get you out of here now….okay?"

"She's really all right?" he asked, not quite daring to believe the words he was hearing.

"Yes, Derek. You protected her. Right before we came out here to search for you…she told us that you jumped in front of her and took that bullet in your leg. You saved her life, Derek, so there is no reason to think that you just left her. You did what you had to…and you saved her." Derek nodded slowly and sighed in relief. Tears shone in his eyes as he fully came to the realization that he still had his everything.

"Where is she?" he asked. "I need to see her for myself."

"Derek, she's at the hospital. They're just making sure that she's coming out of the shock all right. You can see her after they've patched up your leg. It looks pretty horrible," JJ observed, covering her mouth as her eyes took in the extent of his injury. She was amazed that he was able to be even this alert with such a degree of blood loss and obvious agony.

"It's nothing…..It's nothing…."

He passed out, right then and there. The emotions….going from grief to joy in just seconds….the pain…it was all too much to digest. Right as he closed his eyes….he saw Penelope, smiling at him.

"It's going to be all right. It's going to be all right."

And he believed with all his heart….that she was speaking truth.

_I'm going to have their reunion in the next chapter because right here is the best place to break…..imho. Hope you liked…..drop a review!_

_Also…..I am considering writing a "MG shipwrecked" story. It will be mostly dramatic (with hints of fluff and whatnot…but not overwhelming)…If anyone is interested in reading that…please let me know in a PM or review…I know I usually write whatever the heck I want without concern for what others think…I just want to know if anyone would want to read something like that. Thanks!_


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty Three

_Thank you very much for the kind feedback for the chapter and for a (more than) possible upcoming project. It means a lot! Don't know when I will get to that story, but I am pretty sure I will write it, at least. For now, enjoy this chapter!_

_Oh! And…DID ANYONE ELSE DIE DURING 7x20 DURING THE M/G MOMENTS? COME ON, WRITERS….WE'VE WAITED SEVEN YEARS!_

_()_

"He's really lucky, Penelope. The doctor said he can get out of here in a day or two," JJ assured her friend as she rested her hand on Penelope's shoulder.

"I need to see him…..I need to see him right now," she replied in a half-whisper. "I need to see for myself that he's going to be okay." JJ smiled and let out a small laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing….it's just that…..well…..when we found Derek…he said the same thing about you."

"Really?"

"Guess the connection between you two is stronger than you thought." There was a pondering silence for a few moments.

"So…..can I see him?"

"Penelope….relax. He's sedated right now."

"I don't care…..just let me see him, JJ. Please."

"It's not me that's holding you back. It's the doctors. I think they think you'll go back into shock if you see your shining knight all wounded and everything."

"For God's sake, tell those asshats that I'm not a lunatic! I'm not some invalid they can FORCE to stay in bed all day long!" JJ nodded and mumbled that she would see what she could do.

When she was alone, Penelope sat back and simply let the tears fall. She hadn't meant to go off on JJ. After all, they'd been very close friends for years now. It was just that….the bond she shared with Derek was so strong that she felt as though she was literally dying because they were apart. Maybe it sounded rather pathetic…..but it's how she felt. Her experiences over the last weeks had taught her that one never knows what will happen the next day. You could learn a shocking secret….be on the brink of death….or know that someone you loved was right on that brink as well. It all could happen when one least expects it…and that was what was scariest.

Now, she wanted nothing more than to be at his side. It didn't matter that he was unconscious…all that mattered was that he was alive…that he was right there for her, as he'd always been. Even after all they'd been through, they'd come out the other side. So, to not be able to bask in that thought with him…..it was pure torture for Penelope.

"Good news!" JJ announced as she reentered the room. "The doctor said that you can go see Derek now!"

"Really?" Penelope's eyes lit up in anticipation.

"Well, I wasn't going to take no for an answer," she replied with a smirk. "I'm just as driven as you are, Penelope Garcia."

"Thank you, JJ, thank you so much!" Penelope cried. She practically leaped out of bed, her strength renewed at the prospect of seeing Derek.

"Whoa, there. Take it slow, okay? I don't want to be liable if you hurt yourself. He's in Room 309."

The walk down the hallway seemed to take a lifetime. She couldn't seem to get to his room fast enough. Approaching the door, her throat suddenly closed and her head began to spin.

"You okay?" Hotch asked as he stood a few feet away from the door. Penelope jumped, as she hadn't seen him.

"Um…..I think so…" Penelope responded. "I just…..He saved my life. If he hadn't taken the bullet…I'd probably be dead. He's hurt….because of me." Her thoughts were overflowing in her brain. Guilt started to clump in her heart. "He….almost died…because of me."

"Garcia….you can't blame yourself. You weren't the one to fire the shot, were you? I don't know why you feel guilty for this."

"I….know I shouldn't feel like that…but I do. It's just that we've been through so much….and until this moment, my brain sort of glossed over that fact, but now it's starting to really get to me and now I'm freaking out!" she blurted.

"I know you've suffered a great deal of trauma recently, Penelope, but that doesn't mean that Derek will blame you. In fact…..his primary concern when we found him was that he thought you'd been killed in the park as well. He was blaming himself for chasing after the other Unsub. I understand your fears…but there's no real reason to have them."

"I guess you're right, Hotch. I don't know why I get so worked up about this kind of thing."

"It's because you're you. You have a passion inside of you that extends to everyone you care about, especially Derek. Speaking of which, I think it's about time that you went in there. I know that you've been wanting to see him desperately. In fact….I think this whole floor heard about it." He gave Penelope a rare smile.

"Thank you," she whispered, a blush starting to appear on her face. She gently opened the door.

"Baby girl," Derek breathed as his eyes fell upon her approaching figure. "You're here." His eyes filled with grateful tears.

"They said you were sedated," Penelope replied as she sat down at his bedside. Derek reached over to clasp her hand in his.

"Seems I woke up just in time, though. I think my subconscious sensed your presence." He began to sit up.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "Your leg must be killing you right about now." Her eyes drifted down to the large bandage, through which she could see the angry line of red sutures.

"I got morphine for that," Derek responded with a grin. "Plus, a beautiful woman at my bedside isn't hurting my recovery any." Penelope blushed and playfully punched his shoulder.

"Thank you," she whispered. "For pushing me out of the way." She could feel tears starting to pool in her eyes.

"I can't imagine what my life would be like now if I had just stood there and done nothing."

"I love you so much, Derek."

"I love you more, Penelope."

"I think you better go back to sleep, handsome. You're starting to look really exhausted." Derek started to protest, but Penelope put a finger to his lips. After a few moments, his eyes started to close. She pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. Resting her head on his chest, she soon fell asleep as well….her hand still firmly wrapped in his.

Where it belonged.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Four

_Okay, so this is going to be the last chapter! I will post my last note for this at the bottom so you guys can just start reading now!_

_Oh yeah, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHEMAR MOORE! (aka HOTTEST 43 YEAR OLD ALIVE)_

"This has just been…..crazy," Penelope whispered in awe as she stared up at the stars. She and Derek were lounging comfortably on the roof of his-now their-house. It had been a couple of weeks since Derek's rescue from the woods and he'd only been recently released from the hospital. It had come much to his chagrin that he'd had to be in as long as he had.

"It's barely a scratch," he had insisted every time anyone fretted over his well-being.

"A scratch? Handsome, you lost like half of your blood," Penelope had pointed out every time he complained. "For once, I have to agree with the doctor. You need to rest."

"Aw, and now you're going to join with those people and gang up on me, baby girl?" The banter would continue until both were red in the face with laughter. Talking with Penelope was the only thing that kept Derek sane.

And then came the therapy sessions. To both Penelope and Derek, they felt trite and pointless, especially since they'd always been able to help each other out of even the most severe mental state. Why should this situation be any different? Nevertheless, they'd spent the mandatory ten days attending daily counseling sessions.

"But she's so patronizing, handsome," Penelope would grumble after every meeting. "She doesn't get it. I'm fine."

"Hmmm…..that complaint sounds _vaguely _familiar," Derek would tease, an act that usually resulted in her playfully punching his arm.

Of course, the therapy sessions were set up to ensure neither one of them was suffering from PTSD. Never mind Penelope's insistence that her reunion with Derek had cured her from the aftereffects of the shock she'd gone into…but… maybe that was why they were meant for each other: they had such a strong connection that simply the sight of the other was able to heal them. And it was a connection so complex and multi-dimensional that neither of them could explain it to anyone else. There were many couples who simply would've split if they'd been through even half of what Penelope and Derek had…..yet they were closer than ever.

"A little bit, yeah," Derek responded aloofly, bringing Penelope back to earth and out of the galaxy that was her thoughts.

"Do you….think it was meant to be, all of this? You know…..with my dad and yours….and all that?" She bit her lip, hoping that she wasn't prying or being insensitive.

"Well, what do you think?" Derek replied.

"That's not fair, handsome, I asked you first."

"Penelope…..I'm usually not into that 'everything happens for a reason' thing that you're into…..but I guess…..yeah…..maybe…I don't know."

"Maybe fate just brought us together when there was so much that was trying to pull us apart," she whispered.

"Maybe so. But I'm just happy we're together. I don't think the _why _or _how _matters as much…there's a lot of paths that can lead to the same place, right?"

"You are ever my hero, Derek," Penelope smiled. "No one but a hero could say something so profound and mean it with all of his heart.

"Well, I mean it….but I'm not so sure about the 'hero' part. Believe me, baby girl, I don't always act like one."

"Speak for yourself, Derek. All I know is…..I wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for you. Well, okay then, if you don't want to be called a hero…how about…..protector? You have protected me, and no amount of denying will change that."

"Protector, huh?"

"Absolutely," Penelope nodded.

"You know what I want to be called more than that, though?"

"No, what?"

"I want to be called…..husband." Suddenly, Derek got up on one knee and pulled a small box from his pocket.

"Derek….." Penelope couldn't believe it. Tears filled her eyes as Derek opened the box, revealing a glimmering, twinkling diamond ring.

"Penelope Garcia, ever since I met you, you have made me fall in love with you more and more each and every moment. You have brought so much joy, color, and life into my world. You are not just my solace…..you are my everything. I am incomplete without you by my side. You are the person I want to wake up with every morning, the person I want to live with every day of my life, the person I want to start a family with. The person I want to grow old with.

"Penelope…will you do me the incredible honor of becoming my wife?"

"Yes," Penelope breathed, beaming with absolute joy. "Yes, Derek, of course I will!" He slipped the ring onto her finger and embraced her tightly.

"You just made me the happiest man in the world!" Derek exclaimed. He lifted his head and bellowed, "Hey, everyone! The most beautiful girl in the world just said she would marry me!"

"Derek, shush! It's late!" Penelope chastised, but she was smiling the whole time.

"Eh, let them wake up and hear it!" Derek cried, wrapping her lips in his. Their kiss, passionate and demanding, was a testament to the love they had for each other.

"I love you so much, Derek," Penelope panted, breaking the kiss to gulp some air.

"I love you more," he replied, holding her close to him. "And nothing will ever change that."

_And this time, finally, nothing would._

_Words cannot describe how much I have enjoyed writing this story….and how much I appreciate the support I've received! You guys rock! Seriously, though, I am deeply touched by the reviews. I waited a little bit before writing this final chapter because I knew when I did, I would get all sad inside because it would mean the end of yet another story. And all of my stories, good or bad, become my little children when I am writing them…and it's like my child has now left the house. Yeah. Okay, I will stop with the stupid similes and crap. _

_Thanks all for the reading! Next story coming when I have an actual plotline!_


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